About a million people flock to the city of Matera in southern Italy every year. It is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its iconic cave dwellings that date back thousands of years.
However, the delicate buildings are not immune to disrespectful tourists. London-based parkour group Team Phat visited the city and filmed themselves doing stunts on some of the old buildings. In a clip that has gone viral, parkour tracker Devon McIntosh is seen jumping from a roof to the side of a building below, using a rock sticking out of the building for stability. Unsurprisingly, when he tried to step on it, it fell off, permanently detaching from the building and leaving the tracer on the ground with some injuries.
A longer video documenting the group’s experiences in Matera provided a glimpse into the stunt. “It’s stable enough that you can just hang on to it, but I’m afraid it might just break,” the person filming told McIntosh. “You’re a little lighter than me, so it might be more of a challenge for you… Get ready to jump.” After the stone fell from the building, he urged them to “hide the evidence.”
It’s the latest brash stunt that has landed Team Phat in hot water. Last year they angered officials in Venice after a man jumped from a building into the canal. According to their Matera video, that incident led to them being banished from the city.
It remains to be seen whether they will also face a ban from Matera.
