2024-07-19 03:31:09
The photos, which were also shared online by the city’s official tourism social media account “Welcome to Florence”, prompted an avalanche of stormy reactions from netizens, calls for arrests and stricter measures against misbehaving tourists.
The Bacchus sculpture on a street corner near the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge is a modern 16th century sculpture. a copy of the work of the sculptor Giambologna. The original is kept in the nearby Bargello Museum.
“This is the result of years of trying to turn Florence into Disneyland,” said an outraged social media user.
Patrizia Asproni, president of Confcultura, an association promoting Italian cultural heritage, told Italian media that these “constant cases of brutality and barbarity” keep happening because everyone feels they have the right to do what they want with impunity.
Mr Asproni called for the Singapore model of “tight controls, heavy fines and zero tolerance” for bad behaviour.
“Tourists are welcome here, but they must respect our works of art, whether they are originals or replicas,” said Antonella Rinaldi, Florence’s curator of archeology and fine arts.
“Though I doubt this lady (ed. post – the woman in the photo) I’m condemning knows the difference,” she added.
Florence is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.
in 2023 June-September the city, which has a population of just 382,000, was visited by about 1.5 million people. people.
Local residents have long struggled with the huge influx of tourists that turn Florence’s narrow streets into a constant stream of people during the summer months.
The so-called phenomenon of “overtourism” has prompted several cities around the world to make changes in the way they welcome tourists.
Last month, Barcelona’s mayor vowed to phase out short-term tourist rentals in the city within five years, and several tourist hotspots, such as Venice and Japan’s Mount Fuji, have introduced a daily fee to reduce the number of tourists.
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2024-07-19 03:31:09