Overview
- The city says a 28-year-old visitor climbed over the railing of the Fountain of Neptune and tried to touch the statue’s private parts as a pre-wedding challenge.
- Conservators from the Palazzo Vecchio Workshop inspected the site and found minor but significant damage to carved horses’ hooves and a stone frieze.
- Florence estimates repairs at about €5,000 to €6,000, covering work to stabilize and restore the chipped areas.
- Police removed the woman and she was reported to judicial authorities for defacing an artistic and architectural monument, and she remains presumed innocent.
- Heritage officials cite a rise in tourists attempting dares for photos and clout, noting that such behavior has led to repeated damage at famous sites.