PhotoBlog - st-peters

Oct

2012

7:37am, EDT

'Enough!' Business owner mounts protest on dome of St. Peter's Basilica

Andrew Medichini / AP

Italian businessman Marcello di Finizio stands above his banner as he protests on St. Peter's dome at the Vatican on Oct. 3, 2012.

Vatican City — An Italian man clambered onto a ledge on the huge dome of St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday to stage a precarious protest against Prime Minister Mario Monti and the European Union.

Video footage showed the man, identified as Marcello Di Finizio, jumping over railings near the top of the 450-foot high dome on Tuesday afternoon, shocking visitors taking a tour. He then tied a cord to the railings and abseiled to a ledge over a window in the cupola.

Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

Marcello di Finizio continues his protest on Wednesday. The businessman from Trieste in northern Italy managed to slip past security guards at the Vatican on Tuesday evening.

Tottering on the ledge, Di Finizio unveiled a banner reading: "Help! Enough Monti, Enough Europe! Enough Multinationals!".

Officials said Wednesday that the man, who identified himself as the owner of a beach resort, refused appeals from government ministers offering to meet with him if he would come down.

-- Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Video shows and anti-austerity protester jumping the railing at the observation deck atop St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to set up camp with a sign on the iconic Italian dome. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.