Tourists also fined for defacing archaeological remains in Roman Forum.

Rome police caught up with a 30-year-old Canadian tourist after she used a stone to carve the initials of her name into an external wall of the Colosseum on Tuesday evening, Italian media reports.

The woman was stopped by Colosseum staff who notified the carabinieri after witnessing the vandalism taking place.

The tourist, who reportedly expressed regret for her actions, was cited for causing damage to a monument of historical and cultural importance.

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Separately, police fined two American tourists €800 for carving their initials and a love heart on the base of the Arch of Augustus in the Roman Forum, reports RadioRoma.

In recent years there have been numerous episodes of people vandalising the Colosseum by carving their names into the ancient amphitheatre.

In 2019 a 39-year-old Israeli tourist caused outrage after carving the initials of the names of her husband and children into an internal pillar of the landmark.

The fullscale return of tourists to Rome this summer has coincided with a surge of negative headlines, from swimming in the Trevi Fountain and crashing drones into Palazzo Venezia to throwing scooters down the Spanish Steps.

Photo credit: Pajor Pawel / Shutterstock.com.