Tourist rebels against centurion rip-off
by Caroline Prosser (staff) | Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Tourists and centurion at the Colosseum (robertpaulyoung/Flickr)
A Japanese tourist contacted police after being charged €20 for having his photo taken alongside one of the numerous costumed centurions who wait outside the Colosseum and Roman Forum, as Rome’s deputy mayor calls for “more checks”.
The tourist, a man aged 23, agreed to pose for a photo with the costumed centurion, aged 43, in return for the payment of a ’small tip’. The centurion had approached the tourist shouting “picture, picture”. Upon protesting at the fee, the tourist was yelled at and took the action of calling the carabinieri police. The centurion then hit the tourist over the head with a wooden prop, apparently attempting to grab the camera to cancel the photos. The carabinieri reported the man for bodily harm and extortion.
Up until now there is no legislation affecting the payment a centurion can ask for a photo, which typically costs between €5 and €10. Rome’s deputy mayor Mauro Cutrufo said “checks will be stepped up on those in costume who abuse the trust of tourists”. This is not the first time Japanese tourists have been victims of scams in Rome - earlier this year a couple faced a restaurant bill of €695.
