Andrea Moretti was 22 years old and worked installing the new lighting system at the Roman Colosseum. In the early hours of September 23, 2026, he fell from the second level of the Flavian Amphitheatre, about 10 meters above the ground, and died instantly.
The Italian Ministry of Culture decided to close the monument for a day, as a sign of mourning and to allow the Carabinieri’s investigation. But not everyone understood the measure: an American tourist, annoyed to find the gates closed, blurted out a phrase to the minister in front of the cameras that is already going around the world: “Thank you, Minister, for ruining my vacation”.
The man insisted that he would only be coming to Rome for a few days and that the death of one person did not justify, in his view, suspending access. While Andrea’s family mourns a young man who lost his life at work, some still wonder what carries more weight: a day of tourism or a human life.