Tourist Damages Florence's Neptune Fountain in Pre-Wedding Stunt
A 28-year-old tourist caused €5,000 ($5,800) in damage to the Neptune Fountain in Florence's Piazza della Signoria during a pre-wedding stunt. The woman mounted the fountain's rim and attempted to touch the statue's genitals. Officials intervened, but damage was found on a horse's legs and a frieze. The fountain, commissioned in 1559 by Cosimo I de' Medici from Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The incident adds to a pattern of overtourism-related vandalism in Italy, including a car on the Spanish Steps and a crushed chair in Verona.
Key facts
- A 28-year-old tourist caused €5,000 ($5,800) in damage to the Neptune Fountain in Florence.
- The incident occurred on a Saturday afternoon in Piazza della Signoria.
- The woman attempted to touch the statue's private parts as a pre-wedding challenge.
- Damage was discovered on the legs of a horse and a frieze.
- The fountain was commissioned in 1559 by Cosimo I de' Medici from Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna.
- The offender has been reported to the city's judicial authority.
- The incident is part of a pattern of overtourism-related vandalism in Italy.
- Previous incidents include a car on the Spanish Steps and a crushed chair at Palazzo Maffei.
Entities
Artists
- Bartolomeo Ammannati
- Giambologna
- Cosimo I de' Medici
- Cosimo de' Medici
- Arnolfo di Cambio
- Giotto
- Filippo Brunelleschi
- Anton Domenico Gabbiani
- Giacomo Montanari
- Giorgio Caselli
- Patrizia Asproni
- Francesco I de' Medici
- Joanna of Austria
- Michelangelo
Institutions
- City of Florence
- Fabbrica di Palazzo Vecchio
- Palazzo Vecchio
- Uffizi Gallery
- Palazzo Maffei
- Florence city council
- Palazzo Maffei museum
- UNESCO
- Artnet
- CNN
- The Guardian
- The Mirror
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Salvatore Ferragamo
- Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore
- Art Bonus
- Piazza della Signoria
- Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
- Piazzale Michelangelo
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Piazza della Signoria
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Palazzo Vecchio
- Rome
- Spanish Steps
- Verona
- Colosseum
- Pompeii
- Genoa
- Trevi Fountain
- Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
- Piazzale Michelangelo