Parkour group under fire for damaging UNESCO site in Italy

Matera is a unique region of Italy that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List for over 30 years. A heated discussion broke out online when it was revealed what the London parkour group, Team Phat, was doing in this location. Italians are fed up, and internet users are not holding back their words.

About 1 million tourists visit the city of Matera in southern Italy each year. They are captivated by the architecture and atmosphere of a place recognized as the European Capital of Culture in 2019. However, the historic buildings are deteriorating due to parkour practitioners' activities.

Parkour is an intriguing sport that involves overcoming obstacles, mainly in urban spaces, in the simplest and fastest way possible using various techniques. No one would have anything against those practicing this discipline if they did not destroy cultural heritage in the process, which is precisely what the London group is doing.

The men of Team Phat post videos on their social media showing off their parkour stunts. The latest videos in the Italian town depict them jumping on historical structures. A real storm has erupted in the comments under the videos.

"This city is on the UNESCO heritage list for a reason. It needs to be taken care of, not destroyed," wrote one commenter. "This is immature, disrespectful, and stupid behavior that leads to the damage of priceless historical monuments," said another. "I hope they are fined," added another user. "This is not parkour; this is called vandalism," several others said.

The most considerable uproar was caused by a video published at the end of May on the Instagram of the London group. It shows a man jumping from one building to the wall of another and suddenly falling. Not only does he damage the historical fence, but he also puts himself in great danger. "They should pay for this!" one commenter exclaimed. "I love you, and you are my inspiration, but destroying monuments for fun is selfish, and this small town looks so lovely. Was it indispensable?" another questioned. "They should be banned from entering Italy," someone else suggested.

"I am Italian and have been practicing parkour for almost 9 years. The places can be crazy, but Matera should never be used as a parkour park," wrote another user, and his comment received over 1,500 reactions.