A tourist has been charged with defacing a creative and architectural asset after allegedly climbing a marble statue in Florence as a part of a “pre-marital dare” to the touch the statue’s carved genitals, Italian officials said.
The tourist, only identified as a 28-year-old woman, tried climbing the Fountain of Neptune on Saturday, but was quickly spotted by municipal police.
Police said her behaviour “caused minor but significant damage to the fountain in Piazza Signoria,” according to a news release from Florence’s city council.
The girl told police that she entered the Fountain of Neptune, “climbing over each the railing and the sting of the basin.”
“To avoid entering the water, she climbed directly onto the legs of the horse carrying the shell. Her intention was to ‘touch’ the statue’s private parts as a kind of pre-marital dare,” officials said.
The Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria.
AP Photo/Universal Images Group
The officers, who were nearby, “immediately intervened, removing her from the fountain.”
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On Tuesday, a specialist from the Fabbrica di Palazzo Vecchio inspected the location to find out whether the prank had caused any damage.
“The inspection revealed small but significant damage to each the hooves of the horses she had ridden and to a frieze she had held onto to forestall slipping,” officials said. “The girl has been reported to the Judicial Authorities for defacing an artistic-architectural monument.”
The damage caused to the monument amounted to five,000 euros (around $8,000 CAD), in response to officials.
This isn’t the primary time a tourist has caused damage to the famous statue.
In 2023, a 22-year-old German tourist damaged the Fountain of Neptune after he climbed it to take a photograph, Italian officials said.
Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence on the time of the incident, posted footage on social media of the tourist climbing the statue and shared a photograph the tourist took.
“This tourist thought it sensible to climb onto Neptune for a selfie. Fortunately, no damage was done; the alarm system worked. Due to the town’s cameras, he was identified and pays a hefty effective. There are not any excuses for vandalism against cultural heritage,” Nardella wrote in a post on X.
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