Neptune's latest indignity: Florence statue damaged in pre-wedding prank

A tourist has been charged after allegedly climbing a colossal marble statue in Florence to touch its genitals in a pre-wedding prank.

- Angela Giuffrida

Experts said the woman had caused thousands of euros of damage to the Neptune fountain in Piazza della Signoria. Created by the sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati, it was commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1559 to celebrate the marriage of his son, Francesco de' Medici, to Joanna of Austria. The basin is surrounded by horses that pull a shell-shaped chariot at the base of the statue depicting Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.

The 28-year-old tourist, whose nationality has not been disclosed, was spotted by police and quickly removed from the monument. She told them her friends had dared her to touch Neptune's genitals, according to a statement from Florence’s city council.

Experts from the council inspected the monument and found the prank had caused “minor but significant damage to both the legs of the horses she had walked on and to the frieze she held on to in order to avoid slipping”.

City officials estimate the cost of the damage to be €5,000 (£4,300). Police charged the woman with defacing an artistic and architectural asset.