Authorities in Florence, one of Italy’s most visited cities, will use armed guards to protect an iconic city landmark after it was vandalized by German tourists, Insider reported, citing local officials.

Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, told CNN that the Corridor Vasari, a vaulted walkway built 460 years ago along the Arno River that connects the famous halls of the Uffizi galleries, was vandalized on Wednesday by two German tourists who wrote a sign that read: Support the soccer team in the German the third league is scratched on its walls.

The city’s military police said they identified the suspects as two young men, aged 20 and 21, respectively, who were traveling to Italy with a group of 11 students. Police raided student Airbnb rentals and found cans of black paint and paint-stained clothing.

Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, said Thursday that it would cost the authorities $10,800 to remove the vandalism from the Vasari Corridor.

After the incident, representatives of the Uffizi galleries announced that from September, armed guards will be stationed 24 hours a day inside the museum and in the Vasari Corridor area.

“This was clearly not a drunken act, but a deliberate act,” gallery director Ike Schmidt said in a statement to the Associated Press.

“Enough of symbolic punishments and figurative explanations of circumstances. We need a firm fist of the law,” he emphasized.

Italy severely punishes those who mock its historical monuments

Despite Schmidt’s comments, Italy has strict laws regarding vandalism of historical monuments, with offenders facing a hefty fine and up to 5 years in prison.

The frequent acts of terror have come back into the spotlight on the peninsula after a tourist sparked outrage in June after he was caught on video writing his and his girlfriend’s names on the Colosseum, one of Italy’s most famous historic sites.

Italian police were eventually able to identify the tourist, but only after he had left the country. The man is being investigated for damaging a cultural heritage site and, if found guilty, could face a fine of between 2,500 and 15,000 euros and two to five years in prison if he returns to Italy.

After this incident, the Minister of Tourism of Italy categorized those who “disrespect our cultural heritage” as “vandals”.