A female tourist has caused outrage in Florence after she climbed a monument to simulate having sex with a famous statue.
The blonde tourist, whose nationality is not yet known, was seen climbing Giambologna’s Bacchus in the Borgo San Jacopo district of the Italian city, before pretending to kiss the bronze statue.
The unnamed woman, dressed in jean shorts and a black T-shirt, also stood in front of the statue, rubbing her bottom against it as a friend took photos.
The second woman, dressed in black shorts and a white T-shirt, was depicted in the photo kneeling in front of the statue, apparently miming a sexual act.
Now the authorities are demanding a strict ‘zero tolerance’ measure against disrespectful holidaymakers.
The blonde tourist, whose nationality is still unknown, climbed onto a replica of Giambologna’s Bacchus statue in Florence’s Borgo San Jacopo district and pretended to kiss the bronze man
The smiling woman, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, also stood in front of the statue, rubbing her bottom against it as her friend took photos
An outraged resident posted photos of the tourists on a local Facebook group, writing: “Here’s to respect for Florence,” as she criticized tourism in the Italian city. She added an emoji above the image of the tourist kneeling before the statue (pictured above)
The statue the woman in the photo is standing with is a replica (pictured above) of the original bronze Bacchus, made by Giambologna in the 1560s and housed in the Bargello Museum.
“Florence is a city that does not respect its visitors. These constant displays of rudeness and insolence occur because everyone feels entitled to do whatever they want with impunity,” said Patrizia Asproni of Confcultura, a cultural heritage organization.
She urged: ‘We must apply the “Singapore model”: strict controls, very high fines, zero tolerance.’
Police Chief Antonella Ranaldi said: ‘Tourists are welcome, but there must be respect for our monuments, whether they are originals or copies. Also because I doubt that this lady, who is my fault, knows the difference.’
Marco Passeri, a former city councillor for Florence, asked: ‘Are we sure we need these kinds of tourists in Florence?’
An outraged resident posted photos of the tourists on a local Facebook group, writing: “Here’s to respecting Florence,” as she criticized tourism in the Italian city.
She added an emoji to the image of one of the tourists kneeling before the statue, apparently to hide the sex act the woman was imitating.
The footage quickly went viral in Italy, with one resident writing online: “We should force tourists to take a test about Florence before they are allowed to enter the city.”
Others demanded that the female tourists be sent to jail for the “sexual” photoshoot with the statue.
The statue the woman in the photo is standing with is a replica of the original bronze Bacchus, made by Giambologna in the 1560s and kept in the Bargello Museum.
In 2006 it was replaced by a replica and stands on top of an original ancient marble fountain called ‘del Centauro’. Tourists had to climb the fountain to reach the statue.
This follows similar incidents involving tourists who have sparked outrage in Italy by disrespecting monuments. Just last month, a tourist was caught carving his name into an ancient wall in Pompeii.
This follows similar incidents involving tourists who have caused outrage in Italy by disrespecting monuments. Just a month ago, a tourist was caught carving his name into an ancient wall in Pompeii (the carving is pictured above)
In August last year, two tourists from Germany were arrested for defacing a historic monument in Florence with football graffiti (pictured above)
The man, who is from Kazakhstan, was reportedly caught red-handed while destroying a wall in the city, which lies beneath Mount Vesuvius and was buried by the volcano’s eruption in 79 AD.
The unnamed vandal was stopped while he was carving ‘Ali’ on light plasterwork in the House of the Ceii, an ancient villa probably belonging to the magistrate Lucius Ceius Secundus.
Italian authorities have said the man will have to pay for restoration work on the wall to remove the graffiti after he is reported to police.
The park director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said: “An uncivilized act. Thanks to the new law, supported by Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, the perpetrator of the crime will have to pay for the restoration of the wall.
‘Well done to the ministry staff and the Ales company who intervened quickly. Excellent cooperation with the police, whom we thank for their speed.’
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii says on its website that the House of the Ceii is “one of the rare examples of ancient dwellings from the Late Samnite period (2nd century BC).”
They also say: ‘Upon entering the house, the impluvium bath stands out, made of fragments of amphorae set aside. This is a common technique in Greece and can also be found in Pompeii, in the House of the Ancient Hunt.
‘The back wall in the small garden is decorated with wild animals, a very successful theme in the decoration of open spaces.
‘On the side walls are depicted Egyptian-style landscapes with animals from the Nile Delta, probably indicating a connection between the owner of the house and the worship of Isis, which was widespread in Pompeii in the last years of the city’s existence.’
In a now famously shocking incident, a Bulgarian-born fitness instructor from Bristol was filmed laughing as he smashed the wall of the Colosseum. Ivan Dimitrov, 27, was on holiday in Rome with his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, when he was caught carving the words ‘Ivan and Hayley 23’ into the brickwork with a set of keys
As the peak season approaches, Italian authorities will step up surveillance of the country’s landmarks following a series of senseless attacks on Italy’s beloved historic sites over the summer.
In the town of Herculaneum, which was also buried under ash when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, a tourist from the Netherlands was reprimanded for ‘signing’ an ancient wall.
In August, two tourists from Germany were arrested for defacing a historic monument in Florence with football graffiti.
The men reportedly wrote “DKS 1860” in black spray paint on the 460-year-old columns of Florence’s iconic Vasari Corridor.
The corridor connects the city’s magnificent Uffizi Gallery to the Palazzo Pitti and was originally built for the powerful Medici family.
And in a now famous shocking incident, a Bristol-based fitness instructor of Bulgarian descent was filmed laughing as he destroyed the wall of the Colosseum.
Ivan Dimitrov, 27, was on holiday in Rome with his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, when he was caught carving the words ‘Ivan and Hayley 23’ into brickwork with a bunch of keys.