DistantNews
Support us
Italian man jailed for building fake "ancient" amphitheater and charging tourists
🇫🇮 Finland /Crime & Justice

Italian man jailed for building fake "ancient" amphitheater and charging tourists

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • An Italian man was sentenced to prison after building a fake "ancient" amphitheater and charging tourists admission.
  • He claimed the structure was one of the world's oldest and largest, even fabricating stories about Julius Caesar's visits.
  • The man was convicted of art forgery, illegal construction, and destroying a protected landscape after a decade-long legal battle.

An Italian man has been sentenced to prison for constructing a fraudulent "ancient" amphitheater and charging tourists entry fees, capping a ten-year legal saga. The man, who built the structure on a hillside near the village of Arcugnano in northern Italy, claimed it was one of the world's oldest and largest amphitheaters.

looked old

— unnamed construction workersInstructions given by the man to builders regarding the appearance of the fake amphitheater.

He fabricated elaborate stories for visitors, including tales of Julius Caesar's supposed visits during his travels from Egypt to Rome. The man also charged groups up to 600 euros for guided tours, asserting that the seating structures were hand-built by ancient Greeks over 2,000 years ago. The amphitheater was built near the UNESCO-protected Berici Hills.

one of the world's oldest and largest amphitheaters

— unnamed Italian manClaims made by the man to tourists visiting the fake amphitheater.

Local authorities discovered the elaborate fake in October 2016, alerting the heritage protection agency. Police investigating art forgeries quickly confirmed it was a clear fabrication. The man had initially sought a permit to build a garage but instructed builders to create a theater that "looked old."

Julius Caesar visited the theater on his way from Egypt to Rome

— unnamed Italian manFabricated historical narrative told to tourists about the amphitheater's past.

After a lengthy appeals process, the man was ultimately sentenced to two years and four months in prison. He was also ordered to pay a 3,000 euro fine and cover court costs. The conviction includes charges of art forgery, illegal construction, and destroying a protected landscape.

The theater was such an obvious fake that the inspection was completed in one day

— Giuseppe MasegliaStatement by Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Maseglia to CNN about the ease of identifying the fraudulent structure.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog