Italy has been vigilant in protecting its historical sites from rowdy tourists who continually try to break in and vandalize. But, now, the country welcomes travelers to vandal the Florence cathedral without defacing the building itself.
City authorities have placed tablets around Duomo for people to digitally vandal the church free of charge. Also, visitors of the site can customize their graffiti by choosing which digital medium they would like to use - spray paint, pencil, or pen. They can also choose a brick or stone background to go with the vandal.
Afterward, the graffiti will be saved online to be printed and archived by the church management staff. The written graffiti will get to be placed alongside historical documents like the deed to build the cathedral's dome and the birth certificate of Lisa Gherardini, the model after Leonrado Da Vinci's painting.
"If you-virtually-leave us a message, we will preserve it: just like a masterpiece," stated by the signs beside the tablets. There are two locations where the tablets can be found - in the church grounds, and the top of the cathedral.
Italian authorities have always been burdened in cleaning and guarding historical monuments against raucous tourists. The Local reported the non-profit organization Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore as saying: "To leave a mark on monuments is an antisocial and childish behavior, while the will of leaving a mark, a keepsake is just part of the human nature."
Italy has been introducing the use of the tablets since March 2016 where it proved to be successful and where they have received around 18,000 messages from tourists. However, the country has also seen a decline in the use of these tablets.
If the country keeps on improving this initiative, there's a probability that the tablets will also be rolled out in Rome's Colosseum and the Spanish Steps, and other historical sites across Italy.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
