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German tourist damages Florence fountain for a photo

September 5, 2023

The 22-year-old will have to pay a hefty fine after he climbed the Fountain of Neptune in Florence to pose for a photo. The iconic monument had been restored in 2018.

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A file photo of the Fountain of Neptune in 2016
The Fountain of Neptune is an iconic landmark in FlorenceImage: WireStock/Pond5 Images/IMAGO

A German tourist has damaged the famous Fountain of Neptune in Florence after he climbed it to take a photo this weekend, Italian officials said.

The 22-year-old man broke off a piece of marble when he climbed on the monument's chariot, also damaging the horse's hoof on his way back down.

He caused around €5,000 ($5,400) of material damage and now faces a heavy fine.

Florence Mayor Dario Nardella posted footage of the incident on social media and the photo the tourist took.

"There is no justification for ignorance and vandalism towards cultural heritage," the mayor wrote on Monday.

Vandalism of Italy's cultural heritage 

Tommaso Muccini, fine arts architect at the Palazzo Vecchio, said the 16th-century statue had been completely restored in 2018.

Muccini told Florence newspaper La Nazione that security cameras protect the fountain, but they only sounded an alarm as the "imbecile" tourist jumped down from the statue.

He said the damage would be repaired during scheduled maintenance in October.

The incident comes after several tourists were caught vandalizing historical attractions in Italy this summer, including a German teen who defaced the brickwork of the Colosseum in Rome.

zc/dj (dpa)