Fury in Italy as world famous rock with dinosaur footprints is defaced with 'tourists go home' graffiti

A world famous rock, which has preserved dinosaur footprints, has been defaced with 'tourists go home' graffiti.

The anti-tourism slogan was scrawled alongside the prehistoric footprints which are more than 220 million years old - sparking outrage in the country.

Paralympian athlete and climber Moreno Pesce made the shocking discovery while training in the Dolomites in Northern Italy, as reported by ANSA. 

In a video posted online the athlete can be seen shaking his head as he  showed his findings.

Mr Pesce said:  'It was not a nice awakening for the Tre Cime'.

The vandalism took place between the Auronzo and Lavaredo mountains that are home to some of the most popular hikes in Italy.

The dinosaur footprints were discovered in 1992 and are believed to have been moulded during the Triassic period - between 250 and 200 million years ago. 

This discovery led to similar findings across the Dolomites and experts believes to the area being the site of a real dinosaur trail during prehistoric times.  

During the summer, around four million tourists venture to the scenic mountain range every year. 

It follows a wave of anti-tourism protests across Europe this summer which have become particularly prevalent at British holiday hotspots across Spain. 

Earlier this month in Ibiza, 1,000 protesters took to the street calling for more restrictions on tourism to the island, as locals argue that the transformation of Ibiza into a 'luxury destination' was causing serious socio-economic problems for residents.

The march was organised by major anti-tourism platform Caviem el Rumb, which has been carrying out demonstrations throughout the summer in the Spanish holiday hotspot.

Meanwhile in the neighboring island of Majorca anti-tourism protests have rocked the Balearic Island this summer. 

The island saw a record-breaking 17.8million tourists last year but now locals are demanding the amount of foreign visitors allowed the visit Majorca be curbed. 

In July, up to 50,000 locals descended onto the streets of the Majorcan capital Palma.

The anti-tourism protests then took a sinister turn when graffiti saying 'kill a tourist' was spotted in the town of Manacor.

The centre-right Partido Popular party condemned the act of vandalism and urged Manacor Town Hall to 'collaborate in cleaning it all up immediately'.

PP spokesperson Maria Antonia Sanso said that the graffiti did not represent the general feeling of the residents of Manacor', and called the act 'totally unjustified'.

Also in July, locals in Barcelona took to the street demanding a reduction on the millions of tourists that flock to the city every year.

Protesters carried signs reading 'Barcelona is not for sale,' and, 'Tourists go home,' before some armed with water pistols started spraying restaurateurs in a popular tourist hotspots.  

Chants of 'Tourists out of our neighbourhood' rang out as some stopped in front of the entrances to hotels. 

Barcelona's rising cost of housing, up 68 percent in the past decade, is one of the main issues for the movement, along with the effects of tourism on local commerce and working conditions in the city of 1.6 million inhabitants. 

Tenerife saw some of the largest organised anti-tourism with over 200,000 protesters taking to the streets on April 20. 

Elsewhere in Europe, anti-tourism graffiti has appeared in Naples as well as in the Greek capital of Athens. 

Governments have also started using legislation in an attempt to curb the number of tourists.  From April 25 this year, tourists arriving in Venice have been required to pay a €5 day fee (£4.30) to enter at peak times under a pilot programme.

Authorities hope the fee will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents.

Last year, Amsterdam hit the headlines when officials in Amsterdam urged British tourists to 'stay away' from the city.

The initiative was launched as a part of a bid to revamp the image of the Dutch capital - which in recent years has become renowned for its liberal drug politics and famed red light district. 

Amsterdam's campaign - dubbed 'Stay Away' - involved people seeing warnings when they search online for terms such as 'stag party Amsterdam' or 'pub crawl'.

'The campaign will commence in Great Britain, aimed at males in the age category of 18 to 35 years,' Amsterdam city council said in a statement at the time.