Tourist's Vacation Kicks Off With Month in Italian Prison

A Romanian tourist's dream vacation in Italy turned into a disaster at his very first breakfast: He was mistaken for a fugitive, arrested, and locked in prison. The man identified as Ovidiu A. was taken into custody at his hotel in Caorle, near Venice, on Aug. 24 because the name he provided at check-in matched that of a Romanian criminal convicted in Italy for aggravated theft, reports CBS News. Ovidiu then found himself in a bureaucratic web as his family waited in confusion. The wait would last almost a month.

Ovidiu's lawyer, Stefano De Rosa, said it was a slog to gather proof of mistaken identity, a task complicated by a lack of communication among various Italian agencies—police, courts, carabinieri, and prison authorities. "I had to request documentation from each office," De Rosa told reporters. "The nightmare is over," said Ovidiu upon being reunited with his family, according to Italy's Corriere del Veneto newspaper. Despite the ordeal, the family plans to salvage what's left of their vacation, opting for a few days at the beach before heading home to Romania.