OffbeatTimes of India
An Italian man built a fake Roman amphitheatre, fooled tourists for nearly 10 years and charged €40 for guided tours
in5points
Franco Malosso von Rosenfranz built a fake Roman amphitheatre using fibreglass, papier-mâché, plaster and concrete near Vicenza, Italy.
He charged €40 for guided tours of the site, which he presented as the Berico Maritime Amphitheatre.
The hoax lasted nearly 10 years, fooling tourists with claims that Julius Caesar and Cleopatra had visited.
The deception ended after Italy’s Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit and archaeologists exposed the site as modern construction.
The fake ruins had no historical or archaeological significance, despite their convincing aged appearance.
