Tourist charged after damaging Neptune statue following ‘pre-marital dare’

A tourist has been charged with defacing an artistic and architectural asset after allegedly climbing a marble statue in Florence as part of a “pre-marital dare” to touch the statue’s carved genitals, Italian officials said.

The tourist, only identified as a 28-year-old woman, tried climbing the Fountain of Neptune on Saturday, but was quickly spotted by municipal police.

Police said her behaviour “caused minor but significant damage to the fountain in Piazza Signoria,” according to a news release from Florence’s city council.

The woman told police that she entered the Fountain of Neptune, “climbing over both the railing and the edge of the basin.”

“To avoid entering the water, she climbed directly onto the legs of the horse carrying the shell. Her intention was to ‘touch’ the statue’s private parts as a sort of pre-marital dare,” officials said.

The officers, who were nearby, “immediately intervened, removing her from the fountain.”

On Tuesday, a specialist from the Fabbrica di Palazzo Vecchio inspected the site to determine whether the prank had caused any damage.

“The inspection revealed small but significant damage to both the hooves of the horses she had ridden and to a frieze she had held onto to prevent slipping,” officials said. “The girl has been reported to the Judicial Authorities for defacing an artistic-architectural monument.”

The damage caused to the monument amounted to 5,000 euros (around $8,000 CAD), according to officials.

This isn’t the first time a tourist has caused damage to the famous statue.

In 2023, a 22-year-old German tourist damaged the Fountain of Neptune after he climbed it to take a photo, Italian officials said.

Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence at the time of the incident, posted footage on social media of the tourist climbing the statue and shared a photo the tourist took.

“This tourist thought it wise to climb onto Neptune for a selfie. Fortunately, no damage was done; the alarm system worked. Thanks to the city’s cameras, he was identified and will pay a hefty fine. There are no excuses for vandalism against cultural heritage,” Nardella wrote in a post on X.