Vandalism at Empoli Collegiate Church: Call for Certainty of Punishment

In late July, the Romanesque facade of the Collegiate Church of Empoli was defaced with black spray paint. A restorer was called immediately and noted the difficulty of cleaning due to the porous stone. The vandal, a 42-year-old man, was quickly identified and justified his act as a "childish prank in a moment of difficulty." Antonio Natali, former director of the Uffizi Gallery, argues that the real issue is not harsher penalties but the certainty of punishment. He recalls his own experience at the Uffizi, where graffiti on the Vasari Corridor led him to install metal signs warning of imprisonment (3 months to 1.5 years) and fines, not to deter vandals but to inform the public of the criminal nature of such acts. Natali criticizes the public's indifference and the tendency to measure damage only in monetary terms, neglecting the cultural heritage left to future generations. He emphasizes that in Italy, many crimes persist not because of insufficient laws but because of the lack of certainty of being caught and convicted. The swift identification of the Empoli vandal is a positive example, but Natali stresses that the state should focus on "valorization" of local territories, not just major museums, to foster historical consciousness among citizens.