Man ends protest on Vatican dome

Italian beach bar operator Marcello Di Finizio is helped down from his perch atop St. Peter's Basicila.

On Tuesday afternoon, Di Finizio jumped over railings near the top of the 137 metre high dome and climbed down to a ledge over a window in the cupola where he unfurled a sign reading: "Help! Enough with Monti, Enough with Europe, Enough with Multinationals!"

Garnering international attention for his cause, he spent 24-hours on top of the dome to protest European Union rules that will force new auctions of existing beach front merchant contracts in Italy for 2016.

Enthused, Di Finizio addressed a crowd of supporters, announcing that Tourism Minister Piero Gnudi plans to meet with him shortly to discuss his demands.

Operators say the auctions will likely favour foreign multinational companies over smaller local businesses and will leave them out of pocket for the investments they have made in their businesses.

Di Finizio's protest comes as Prime Minister Mario Monti faces deep-seated opposition as he seeks to overhaul Italy's economy.