A 22-year-old student in Italy has become an unexpected Internet sensation after tattooing the barcode of his Covid certificate on his arm.

Andrea Colonnetta said he hadn't given much thought in advance before getting his latest tattoo, but decided on the topical — and practical — choice after talking with tattoo artist Gabriele Pellerone, AFP reports.

“It's certainly something original, I like to be different,” Colonnetta, from the southern city of Reggio Calabria, told Corriere della Calabria newspaper.

The underside of Colonnetta's left arm now bears a matrix of black squares from the QR code of his official Italian green pass.