Tourist accused of damaging 16th-century fountain in ‘pre-wedding challenge’

27 Apr 2026 • 7:30 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • A tourist in Florence allegedly damaged the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune, known as the 'Biancone', in Piazza della Signoria.
  • Local police spotted the 28-year-old woman scaling the railings and climbing onto one of the horse's legs in the fountain on Saturday, 18 April.
  • She told police her intention was to touch the statue's private parts as part of a 'pre-wedding challenge'.
  • Specialists later found “minor but significant” damage to the horses' hooves and a frieze, which the woman is thought to have clung to.
  • The tourist has been reported to judicial authorities for defacing an artistic and architectural monument.

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