The Dubai-based Belgian travel blogger, who goes by the name Nils Travel on Instagram, shared the photo of him sitting on an ancient brick pillar with his almost 44,000 followers last week.

In the original caption, the traveller explained he’d found “a little area that had NO people!”, which, he said, meant “nobody to yell at me meaning I had to come down from this thing! Exactly what I needed!”

The photograph was met with swift backlash, especially in Italy, where local researchers reported it to authorities and it swept the national media.

The pillar appeared to be a column of Pompeii’s Basilica, which Italy’s The Local described as “the most important public building in the ancient city and one of the oldest of its kind still visible today”.

And not only is desecrating the ancient site disrespectful, it’s also illegal.

Local researcher Vincenzo Marasco vented his fury at the photo in a post on Facebook.

“The delicacy of our historical heritage must be preserved and defended especially by those who are not aware of its great value,” he said.

In the wake of the backlash Nils has kept the picture on his Instagram page but replaced the original caption with a lengthy apology.

“I would like to apologise to everyone that I have offended by sitting on this stone column,” the apology read.

“I admit that it was not my smartest decision, and I was not thinking about the historical significance of the place and how it could be perceived by others if I pictured myself in this manner.

“In my photography, I try to always convey the beauty and feeling that I experience myself in a place, so I meant in no way to disrespect the cultural and historical heritage this place signifies.”

He said he had seen many similar photos from Pompeii on Instagram, but recognised his high social media profile compelled him to set a better example.

“However, as someone with a large online following in the tourism niche, I realise I bear a greater responsibility than others to be an example of what and what not to post, or how to behave as a traveller. Now more than ever that is clear to me,” he continued.

“We all know the internet can be a hostile place, but this was my first brush with the ugly side of it.”

He also revealed he had received death threats over the image.

“I love travelling from the bottom of my heart, it is what drives me and feeds my soul, and to read the — often nationalistic and xenophobic — harm and death wishes that I have received over the past 24 hours hurts me to the core,” he said.

“However, I have learned from this experience and I will apply it to my future travels. I hope others can learn from my mistake too. I am ready to move forward, discuss and engage in a healthy debate with anyone who wishes.”

He then urged his followers to donate to the Pompeii Preservation Project.

The Belgian traveller is the second tourist to land in trouble in the ancient city of Pompeii.

In March, an American visitor was questioned by police after he moved tiles on a mosaic in while trying to take a photograph at the ancient Roman building, the House of the Sailor, which was only opened to the public last year.

Police were satisfied the man didn’t disrupt the precious artefact deliberately or maliciously and he was off the hook.

“The episode testifies to the fragility of our heritage, and to the constant protection of the site carries out by security and law enforcement officers daily,” representatives from Pompeii’s archaeological site said.