A 28-year-old tourist has been charged after allegedly climbing the colossal marble Neptune fountain in Florence's Piazza della Signoria to touch its genitals for a pre-wedding prank. Experts from Florence's city council said the woman caused thousands of euros of damage to the monument, which was created by sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati and commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1559.
Police spotted and quickly removed the tourist, whose nationality was not disclosed. She told them her friends had dared her to touch Neptune's genitals. Council experts found "minor but significant damage to both the legs of the horses she had walked on and to the frieze she held on to in order to avoid slipping." City officials put the cost at €5,000 (£4,340), and police charged her with defacing an artistic and architectural asset.
This is not the first time a tourist has tried to mount Neptune. CCTV cameras were introduced in 2005 after a visitor climbed the statue, breaking one of its hands and damaging the chariot. In 2023, a German tourist caused significant damage trying to climb the monument for a selfie. That same summer, a young couple tried to scale a copy of Michelangelo's David in Piazzale Michelangelo.
Despite stricter controls, rarely a summer goes by without similar incidents. Giorgio Caselli, who manages the city council's fine arts office, says it has become increasingly trendy for visitors to climb monuments for a "challenge." In 2024, a teenager hid in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore overnight before climbing to its cupola for a selfie, filming himself in a black hoodie, jeans, and trainers walking up an inside stairwell of the world heritage site.
Caselli said visitors often lack respect, stating: "The physical contact that is sought with the monument is far from the objective, emotional and intellectual [awareness] that we expect... We must not allow ourselves any conscientious concessions to the ignorance and superficiality that characterise such actions." Florence attracts roughly 16 million tourists a year, and Caselli added: "Florentines are protective of their heritage and look towards them [visitors] with suspicion. Perhaps because they don't live in the city, they consider it more of a game."