By Tim Binnall
An Australian man vacationing in Italy found himself in hot water with the law after he was caught riding a moped around the Pompeii Archaeological Park. According to a press release, the odd incident occurred last Wednesday afternoon when the unnamed tourist entered the location by riding behind a group of authorized construction vehicles that were using a service entrance to the site. The man then proceeded to ride his scooter approximately one mile around the outskirts of the famed ruins until security personnel managed to stop him.
Stressing that the intrusion only lasted "a few minutes," Pompeii Archaeological Park also noted that the path used by the tourist is "an avenue outside the walls of the ancient city" and, therefore, the ruins were not in danger at any time. While the man reportedly claimed that he did not know that what he had done was illegal and apologized for his actions, he was nonetheless arrested and charged with what one presumes is some form of trespassing. Meanwhile, no doubt fed up with visitors behaving badly at their cultural landmarks, Italian media vilified the man, who one outlet dubbed a "barbarian."