Moment when a tourist smashes a piece of the sea god’s marble chariot and cracks a horse’s hoof as he climbs the 500-year-old Fountain of Neptune in Florence to take a photo
- The 22-year-old German, who has not been named, could receive a huge fine
This is when a tourist damages the Fountain of Neptune in Florence, smashing a piece of the marble sea god’s chariot and cracking a horse’s hoof as he scrambles up to take a picture.
The 22-year-old German, whose name has not been publicly named, could face a huge fine after being accused of climbing the 16th-century monument, causing an estimated £4,272 in damage.
Flickering camera footage in a strange purple hue due to the artificial light shows the man quickly making his way to the fountain, which is located in the center of the city’s Piazza della Signoria, before crossing the water and onto the statue scrambles to pose for the photo and then run off.
Florence mayor Dario Nardella posted a video accompanying a photo of the man standing next to the statue with his face pixelated.
He wrote: ‘This tourist thought it best to climb on Nettuno for a selfie. Fortunately no damage, the alarm system worked.’
CCTV footage shows the man quickly making his way to the fountain before crossing the water and scrambling onto the statue to pose for the photo, then running away
Florence Mayor Dario Nardella posted the clip, accompanied by a photo of the man standing by the statue with his face pixelated
The tourist was located within hours, with the mayor adding: “Thanks to the council’s cameras, he has been identified and will have to pay a heavy fine.” There are no justifications against vandalism of cultural heritage.’
The fountain was sculpted between 1563 and 1565 by Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna to celebrate the opening of a new aqueduct. It is also known as the Biancone (great white) because of the brilliance of the marble.
The sea god on a chariot drawn by four horses is surrounded by three young Tritons and four figures representing the ocean spirit Doris, her daughter Thetis the Nereid and two other marine deities. The central figure, Neptune, stands above the other statues.
The German’s blunder is just the latest in a series of incidents involving tourists damaging Italian monuments this year.
In July, a 17-year-old Swiss girl is said to have engraved her initials on the Colosseum in Rome, just weeks after another tourist damaged the building.
Police launched an investigation after Italian tour guide David Battaglino captured video of the unidentified girl carving the letter ‘N’ into the wall, La Repubblica reported.
The Fountain of Neptune is located in the center of the city’s Piazza della Signoria
Video posted to Twitter by Italian news agency ANSA shows the girl, whose face is blurred, in the act before noticing herself being filmed and stopping.
“It’s the first time I’ve been able to film an act of vandalism inside the Colosseum, but in six years I’ve seen dozens,” Battaglino told La Repubblica Roma.
‘There are also those who break down parts of the wall. They even spat on me once for scolding a boy,” he added.
In June, a man was caught vandalizing the Colosseum, an act that enraged officials.
Ivan Dimitrov, 27, a fitness coach from Bristol who also goes by the name Ivan Hawkins, was caught on camera by American holidaymaker Ryan Lutz carving the words “Ivan and Hayley 23” into the brickwork with a set of keys on it. June 23.
Bulgarian-born Dimitrov was visiting Rome with his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, as part of a three-week European tour.
They were located by police in Bulgaria after identifying them through CCTV footage and hotel records.