Vita gazette – Gazzetta Vita – A tourist who wanted to see Piazza Venezia from above crashed his drone on the roof of the historic Palazzo Venezia.

Despite the ban on the use of drones in Rome and the Vatican, a tourist drone crashed into the roof of Palazzo Venezia, a historic building. The Argentinian man had been flying his drone in Piazza Venezia when he lost control of the device and sent it crashing into the roof of Palazzo Venezia, a 15th-century building from where the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini delivered some of his most famous speeches. The palace, which houses the National Museum, was not badly damaged but was fined for breaking the rules. Penalties of between 516 euros and 64 thousand euros are imposed on those who violate the rule for the use of unmanned aircraft without prior authorization.

There are people around the world who value showing off rather than respect for art and history, and who exaggerate it even more with the rise of technology. For example, a tourist sitting on a plaster statue of Antonio Canova, formerly one of Italy’s leading neoclassical sculptors, broke the statue’s toes. Two tourists from Mexico crashed their drones into the historic Leaning Tower of Pisa, also famous for its curved position. A Polish tourist dropped his drone in the Colosseum, one of the largest ancient monuments in the world. These examples can be multiplied.

Vittoria Sgarbi: The unconscious barbarian

After the Canova statue’s finger was broken, Vittorio Sgarbi, one of Italy’s well-known art critics and the President of the Possagno Canova Foundation, called for the tourist, whom he described as an “unconscious barbarian”, to be found and punished before returning to his country. Later, there were statements from museum and art critics that artworks should be approached with a sense of respect and responsibility, and that this is a civil duty. Despite all this, historical artefacts continue to be damaged by the terror created by individuals, as well as by wars.

People who want to film or take shots of the Italian capital from above with a drone must get permission and be registered with Enac, the national body for civil aviation. Piloting a drone in central Rome and the Vatican is completely out of bounds because of all the precious monuments.