By: The opinion Posted 07 Sep 2023, 1:54 am EDT
A tourist visiting the beautiful streets of Florence decided that he wanted to take a picture next to the Neptune monument, however, his audacity left damage to the monument for about 5,300 dollars.
According to the mayor of the city, Dario Nardella, mentioned that “This tourist was kind enough to get on Neptune to take a selfie” and upon further and more careful evaluation, the monument’s horse’s leg was damaged and thousands of dollars will be needed to restore it.
The mayor added: “Thanks to the municipal cameras, he has been identified and will pay a heavy fine. There is no justification against vandalism against cultural heritage.
This tourist has thought well of going out on Nettuno for a selfie. Fortunately, it is not dangerous, the alarm system has worked. Grazie alle telecamere del Comune è stato individuato e pagherà a fine salata. Control vandalism sui beni culturali non ci sono giustificazioni pic.twitter.com/QVvBNYaygI
— Dario Nardella (@DarioNardella) September 4, 2023
The episode takes place after the debate between the mayor and the director of the Uffizi Museum, Eike Schimdt, after some graffiti on the exterior wall of the Vasariano Corridor and the request to the municipality for armed surveillance, while the councilor explained that the reinforcement of measures such as cameras and alarms were sufficient, which allowed the tourist who climbed the statue to be surprised.
The tourist is a 22-year-old German, resident in Berlin, who was denounced by the municipal police who identified him.
According to official information, the tourist was in Signoria Square with two other friends and jumped over the fence of the Neptune fountain and climbed onto the edge and then onto the horse’s leg.so that friends will take some photos, in the descent he placed his foot on the leg again, damaging it.
The alarm was activated when the young man left the area of the fountain, which allowed him and his friends to lose track, but based on the images from the video surveillance cameras of the town hall, the agents in the central area managed to identify the vandal.detailed the newspaper “La Repubblica”.
The Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, also intervened on the matter: “The umpteenth damage to the national cultural heritage, although it seems contained, is a sign of a total lack, on the part of the author of the gesture, of respect for civilization and beauty , a feeling that should distinguish those who choose to visit Italy”.
On August 23, two German tourists were also arrested in Florence, accused of being the authors of some graffiti on the walls of the Vasariano Corridor, which crosses the Ponte Vecchio, in an act of vandalism that once again outraged the country.