The woman told police her friends dared her to touch Neptune's genitals, according to a Florence city council statement. Experts from the council said the prank caused minor but significant damage to the legs of the horses she walked on and to the frieze she held onto. City officials estimated the damage at €5,000 (£4,340). Police charged the woman with defacing an artistic and architectural asset.
The Neptune fountain, created by sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati and commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1559, has been a target before. CCTV cameras were introduced in 2005 after a visitor climbed the statue, breaking one of its hands and damaging the chariot. In 2023, a German tourist caused significant damage trying to climb the monument for a selfie, and a young couple tried to scale a copy of Michelangelo's David in Piazzale Michelangelo. In 2024, a teenager hid in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore overnight before climbing to its cupola for a selfie. Florence attracts roughly 16 million tourists a year.
The tourist's nationality has not been disclosed. It remains unclear what specific charges she faces or what legal consequences may follow. City officials have not announced new measures to prevent such incidents.