Watch: Tourist damages 16th-century statue in Florence, Italy while posing for photo
A German tourist accused of damaging a 16th-century statue while posing for a photo in Florence, Italy, is now facing a hefty fine, city officials say.
Video shared on social media by Florence Mayor Dario Nardella shows the tourist climbing the famous Fountain of Neptune to take a picture.
As the 22-year-old climbed the monument’s chariot, he broke off a piece of marble and damaged a hoof of one of four horses on the way back down, causing an estimated $5,400 in damages, the city said in a statement obtained by multiple news outlets.
Confirming the fine, Nardella also posted the photo taken by the tourist, who has not been named, and said:
“There is no justification for ignorance and vandalism towards cultural heritage,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.
Watch:Tourist caught climbing across Rome’s historic Trevi Fountain to fill up water bottle
What happened at the Fountain of Neptune?
The tourist scaled a protective barrier around the landmark and posed on the statue while two friends, who remained on the other side of the barrier, took photos of him, the city’s statement said, according to CNN.
“With a jump he … climbed onto the horse’s leg, reaching the base of the carriage and, after having some photos taken by his friends, he climbed down,” the statement said. “During the descent he placed his foot again on the hoof, damaging it. As soon as the alarm went off, however, the young man had already managed to escape with the two others.”
In a Facebook post, Mayor Nardella said that “the stupidity of certain individuals weighs heavily on the whole community.”
‘Imbecile’ tourist
The security system that monitors the fountain only sounded an alarm as the “imbecile” tourist jumped down from the statue, Tommaso Muccini, a fine arts architect at the Fine Arts of Palazzo Vecchio responsible for the maintenance of the city’s monuments, told Florence newspaper La Nazione.
Muccini said the damage to the 16th-century statue would be repaired during scheduled maintenance in October. He added that the historic landmark had been completely restored in 2018.
The tourist will be charged under a city penal code that prohibits the “destruction, dispersion, deterioration, disfigurement, soiling or illicit use of cultural or landscape assets,” according to the statement. If convicted, he could be fined and banned from entering the city.
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When was the Fountain of Neptune built?
Located in the center of Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna sculpted the Fountain of Neptune (“Fontana di Nettuno” in Italian) between 1563 and 1565 to celebrate the opening of a new aqueduct, according to Tuscany’s official tourism website.
Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, is depicted on a chariot drawn by four hours and ringed by three young Tritons, among other figures. It’s considered one of the most recognizable landmarks in Florence.
Tourists behaving badly
Monday’s damage to the Neptune statue is the latest in a recent string of tourists misbehaving at landmarks in Europe.
Last month, two German men were accused of defacing of the 460-year-old Vasari Corridor, also in Florence, Italy.
Also last month, a video taken of a tourist climbing across Rome’s Trevi Fountain to fill her water bottle went viral and sparked outrage among online users. The historic site is one of Rome’s most revered symbols.
Another set of tourists were busted in Paris on Aug. 14 after sleeping inside the Eiffel Tower after a night of drinking.
And in June, an English tourist was filmed carving a note into the Colosseum in Rome. The man, later identified as 27-year-old Ivan Danailov Dimitrov, apologized for his actions in a letter claiming that he was unaware of how ancient the 2,000-year-old amphitheater was when he defaced it.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
