Expensive photos from Florence: German tourist destroys the fountain – the mayor “does research” on his own initiative

A German tourist destroys the fountain – the mayor “conducts research” on his own initiative

These holidays cost the tourist from Germany dearly: on Monday night he climbed the huge Neptune Fountain to take a photo. Break something.

Published: September 4, 2023 at 7:38 pm

“This tourist thought it would be best to climb Neptune to take a selfie,” the mayor of Florence wrote on social media.

Source: Twitter/Dario Nardella

A German tourist caused extensive property damage while climbing one of Florence’s most famous fountains. According to the city administration, the 22-year-old climbed the Neptune Fountain in the Italian City of Arts on Monday evening to take pictures. A piece of marble broke off from the memorial carriage. In addition, the hoof of the horse that the man jumped on was damaged. Damage is estimated at approximately 5,000 euros.

The authorities tracked down the tourist using surveillance camera images. The mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, posted one of the resulting images on his Twitter page.

He darkened the young German’s face, but wrote: “There is no justification for ignorance and vandalism towards cultural heritage.” The vacationer now has to expect a high fine. The octagonal fountain dates back to the 16th century. It was extensively restored in 2018.

This isn’t the first time this summer that artwork has fallen victim to the selfie craze. In early August, a German fitness celebrity destroyed a 150-year-old statue outside a villa in Lake Como while trying to hug it for a photo. The statue tipped over and broke. The damage amounted to at least 100 thousand euros.

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