For a selfie, this tourist damaged the Neptune Fountain in Florence

2023-09-07 16:07:40

A cliché with the god of the sea that goes wrong. A German tourist who climbed on the Fountain of Neptune in Florence (Italy) on the night of September 3 to 4 caused damage to the emblematic monument of the Italian city. It was one o’clock in the morning when the young man wanted to take a selfie, says the Huffington Post. Helped by two friends, he climbed over the barriers that protected the fountain.

This tourist has seen fit to go up to Neptune for a selfie. Luckily no damage, the alarm system worked. Thanks to the cameras of the Municipality, he has been identified and will pay a hefty fine. There is no justification against vandalism of cultural heritage pic.twitter.com/QVvBNYaygI

— Dario Nardella (@DarioNardella) September 4, 2023

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The visitor settled on the edge of the pool before climbing higher, triggering the alarm. The small group then fled the Piazza della Signoria. Images from video surveillance cameras, however, made it possible to find his trail, reports the Italian newspaper The nation. This escalation of the monument caused damage. The stucco on the right front leg of one of the horses surrounding Neptune was thus damaged.

Two damaged areas

A red marble triangular portion of the upper part of the tank measuring approximately 25 by 20 millimeters has come off. This damage could seem insignificant if the restoration of the Neptune fountain in 2018 had not cost 1.5 million euros. The cost of the damage was estimated by the technicians of the Municipality at around 5,000 euros. The fine that the young tourist will receive should help finance the repairs.

On the social network X (formerly Twitter), the mayor of Florence Dario Nardella condemned the behavior of the young German this Monday. He indicated that there was no damage, but this was before the passage of the city’s technical services. “There is no justification against the vandalism of cultural heritage,” denounced the city councilor. The Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano for his part warned that “the slightest scratch will now be the subject of legal proceedings”.