Man jailed after charging entry fees for fake Greek amphitheater in Italy
In an alternate universe, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Juliet Capulet all set foot in this amphitheater.
Italy has enough genuine ancient ruins to keep history lovers occupied for several summer vacations, but one man apparently decided the country could use another. Franco Malosso built his own supposedly ancient amphitheater on a hillside in northern Italy, charged tourists to visit it, and has now landed in prison following a decade-long legal battle over a historical site that wasn’t particularly historical.
The elaborate fake “Greek amphitheater” stood near Arcugnano in Italy’s Veneto region, where Malosso presented himself as the discoverer and custodian of what visitors were led to believe was an ancient structure. CNN reports that he charged some visitors as much as €40 ($46) to tour the site, which covered nearly 54,000 square feet. For 600 euros ($692), he would accommodate group tours for 45 minutes.
There was just one fairly significant archaeological problem: Malosso had commissioned the thing himself. Modern builders constructed its seating and steps with machinery, newly quarried stone and cement, while evidence presented in court showed that parts of the structure had been deliberately made to look older. Perhaps the only thing authentically ancient about the attraction was the art of scamming tourists.
Turns Out the Ancient Greeks Didn’t Build This One
The illusion apparently went well beyond weathering a few stones. The property included cement columns, plaster statues, and a man-made pool. Prosecutors reportedly said Malosso claimed the supposed ruins had emerged following a landslide.
Visitors were even told that Julius Caesar and Cleopatra had been there, along with Juliet Capulet. Unfortunately for that particular piece of local history, Shakespeare’s famous heroine is fictional. Why not add a star-studded guest list to a landmark surrounded with controversy?
There were other clues. Experts noted that the structure was fan-shaped rather than the oval shape of an amphitheater, while its various names made references that didn’t fit the area’s geography or history. Ancient Greeks hadn’t colonized that far north in Italy, either.
Despite having enough discrepancies to fail a history quiz, some visitors were thoroughly impressed. Online reviews praised the attraction, while Malosso reportedly gave “fake it till you make it” a remarkably literal tourism package.
This Historical Attraction Had a Very Modern Construction Crew
Authorities discovered the site in 2016 and referred it to heritage officials. Investigators apparently didn’t need Indiana Jones levels of archaeological expertise to unravel the mystery, as the inspection determining that the site was fake was completed in a single day. The bizarre tourist scam was apparently almost as shocking as the proposed “Triumphal Arch.”
Malosso was convicted in 2019 and lost subsequent appeals, including one before Italy’s highest court. Among his arguments was essentially that the forgery was so obvious nobody could reasonably have believed it was genuine. The court was not persuaded.
He is now serving a 28-month prison sentence and was fined €3,000 ($3,462), alongside €3,500 ($4,040) in legal fees. The site has been seized, and Malosso was ordered to demolish it.
Ironically, removing his faux archaeological discovery may ultimately require some genuine excavation. After spending years convincing visitors they were looking at history, Malosso’s ancient attraction has finally become a genuine thing of the past.
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