The 22-year-old will have to pay a hefty fine after he climbed the Fountain of Neptune in Florence to pose for a photo. The iconic monument had been restored in 2018.A German tourist has damaged the famous Fountain of Neptune in Florence after he climbed it to take a photo this weekend, Italian officials said.

Also Read | Puthuppally Assembly By-Election 2023: Despite Rain, More Than 44% Voter Turnout Recorded Till Afternoon in Kerala Bypoll.

The 22-year-old man broke off a piece of marble when he climbed on the monument's chariot, also damaging the horse's hoof on his way back down.

Also Read | Karnataka Horror: Man Kills 14-Month-Old Baby for Second Marriage in Raichur.

He caused around €5,000 ($5,400) of material damage and now faces a heavy fine.

Florence Mayor Dario Nardella posted footage of the incident on social media and the photo the tourist took.

"There is no justification for ignorance and vandalism towards cultural heritage," the mayor wrote on Monday.

Vandalism of Italy's cultural heritage

Tommaso Muccini, fine arts architect at the Palazzo Vecchio, said the 16th-century statue had been completely restored in 2018.

Muccini told Florence newspaper La Nazione that security cameras protect the fountain, but they only sounded an alarm as the "imbecile" tourist jumped down from the statue.

He said the damage would be repaired during scheduled maintenance in October.

The incident comes after several tourists were caught vandalizing historical attractions in Italy this summer, including a German teen who defaced the brickwork of the Colosseum in Rome.

zc/dj (dpa)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2023 02:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).