Tourists Paid 40 Euros for an Ancient Amphitheater Made of Concrete and Plaster

The Italian town of Arcugnano, located in the province of Vicenza, is seeking to dismantle a fraudulent amphitheater that a local resident constructed and marketed to tourists as an authentic historical site. The municipality currently lacks the funds to undertake the necessary restoration of the hill where the structure stands.

According to the newspaper La Repubblica, the man built the faux amphitheater using artificially aged stones, statues, and columns on a small hill. He then lured unsuspecting tourists by presenting it as a genuine ancient monument, capitalizing on the area's historical significance.

The cost of restoring the site to its original state is estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000 euros (approximately $325,000 to $540,000 USD). This significant expense presents a major challenge for the local administration, which is now faced with the dual task of removing the fake structure and rehabilitating the landscape.