It is the latest in a series of incidents involving tourists trespassing on historic landmarks and cultural heritage sites across countries.
A 22-year-old German man has been detained in Florence for allegedly damaging a 16th-century marble statue of Neptune after climbing on it to pose for a photograph. According to a statement from the city's municipal authorities, the tourist caused damage worth 5,000 euros to the 4-meter-high statue, breaking pieces in several places during his descent.
The man was captured on CCTV footage after a similar tourist incident that resulted in Neptune's hand being broken in 2005 led the city to install security cameras and alarms in and around the statue.
Dario Nardella, mayor of Florence, shared the footage and an anonymous photograph of the tourist standing at the base of the statue, noting that the culprit “will pay a heavy fine.” The architect responsible for maintaining the city's monuments, Tommaso Muccini, referred to the tourist as an “imbecile”.
The Fountain of Neptune was designed by the Renaissance artist Baccio Bandinelli in 1559, but after his premature death, it was later created by his student, Bartolomeo Ammannati, in 1574. The Florentine Duke Cosimo I de Medici had commissioned the gigantic fountain from the mythological god of sea to celebrate the city's new aqueduct, as well as the wedding of his son, Francesco de Medici I, to Grand Duchess Joan of Austria.
Source: HyperAllergic
