A famous rock in Italy which features dinosaur footprints has been graffitied with an anti-tourism slogan, triggering anger across the country.
The rock, which is more than 220 million years old, had been defaced with “tourists go home”.
The damage was discovered in the Dolomites in Northern Italy by Paralympian athlete and climber Moreno Pesce.
In a video posted online, Pesce was seen shaking his head after finding the graffiti.
The defacement is located between the Auronzo and Lavaredo mountains – a very popular area for hiking in Italy.
Pesce said: “It was not a nice awakening for the Tre Cime”.
In 1992, the dinosaur footprints were first discovered and are believed to have been moulded during the Triassic period – between 250 and 200 million years ago.
Other similar sightings were found across the Dolomites.
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Around four million tourists visit the mountain range every year.
This summer saw a wave of anti-tourism protests in parts of Europe.
In September, 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Ibiza, calling for more restrictions on tourism to the island.
While in Majorca, similar anti-tourism protests were also carried out.
The damage was discovered in the Dolomites in Northern Italy by Paralympian athlete and climber Moreno Pesce
Facebook (Moreno Pesce)
In July, up to 50,000 locals descended onto the streets of the Majorcan capital Palma.
Elsewhere in Europe, anti-tourism graffiti has been spotted in Naples and in the Greek capital of Athens.
Governments have started to use legislation in an attempt to reduce the number of tourists.
Source Agencies
