Fake Roman amphitheater scam in Arcugnano: perpetrator sentenced

Franco Malosso, also known as Frank Von Rosenfranz, has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison for building a fake Roman amphitheater in Arcugnano, near Vicenza, Italy. The structure, presented as a pre-Roman archaeological site, was actually a modern construction made with artificially aged stone blocks, plaster statues, concrete columns, and an artificial lake. Malosso charged visitors €40 per ticket. The scam was uncovered in 2016 by the Carabinieri, coordinated by the Vicenza prosecutor's office. In 2019, the court ordered Malosso to pay €560,000 in damages to the municipality of Arcugnano and restore the hillside, which had been illegally cleared and landscaped. The amphitheater, still visible on Google Maps as a theme park, remains standing despite a demolition order. The case highlights the audacity of archaeological fraud in Italy.