A “moron” tourist damaged the famous Neptune Fountain in Florence this weekend when he climbed on it to take a selfie and broke a piece of marble from the 16th-century site, authorities said.
Security footage captured the 22-year-old German trying to climb the iconic monument’s cart to pose for a photo and breaking the piece of marble, Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said in a post on X while sharing a blurry image of the offender. visitor.
“There is no justification against vandalism of cultural heritage,” the mayor said on Monday.
The man also damaged the horse’s hoof on his way down, German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
He caused about 5,000 euros ($5,400) in damage to the fountain and faces a hefty fine, authorities said.
The Fountain of Neptune, restored in 2018, has been located in Piazza della Signoria since 1574.
The tourist caused more than $5,000 in damage and will pay a “considerable fine,” the city’s mayor said. Dario Nardella/Twitter
The iconic sculpture took 10 years to complete and was commissioned during the reign of Cosimo I de’Medici, who dreamed of turning Florence into a naval superpower.
The unveiling of the statue also coincided with the completion of the city’s new water and aqueduct system.
Tommaso Muccini, the fine arts architect of the Palazzo Vecchio, told the Florentine newspaper La Nazione that security cameras caught the “imbecile” as the tourist jumped from the precious statue.
The statue has been an iconic fixture in Florence since its construction in 1574. Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The damage will be repaired during scheduled maintenance of the monument in October, he said.
The incident comes as a wave of tourists has recently been arrested for vandalizing several historic attractions in Italy.
Earlier this summer, two tourists were caught carving their names on the iconic Roman Colosseum, and two others were arrested for spray-painting slogans for a Munich soccer team on the Vasari Corridor, which connects to the city’s famous Uffizi Galleries. city.
Under Italian law, acts of vandalism can be prosecuted under the “aggravated damage” modality, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.DarioNardella/Twitter
The graffiti attack late last month caused $10,800 worth of damage, the Italian Carabinieri military police said.
In July, a 17-year-old Swiss girl was filmed carving the letter “N” into one of the walls of the monument, just a month after Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old Bulgarian fitness trainer, was arrested carving his and the names of his fiancee at the monument.
Under Italian law, acts of vandalism can be prosecuted under the “aggravated damage” modality, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn