A tourist in Florence allegedly damaged a 16th-century fountain as part of a “pre-wedding challenge” to touch a statue’s private parts.

The city of Florence said a female visitor climbed up the Fountain of Neptune, known as the “Biancone”, in Piazza della Signoria and left it damaged.

The fountain was constructed between 1563 and 1565 to celebrate the opening of a new aqueduct and earned its nickname, which means “great white”, due to the brilliance of its marble.

The statues at the heart of the fountain show the Roman sea god Neptune on a chariot drawn by four horses, surrounded by other figures.

Local police spotted the 28-year-old woman climbing the fountain on Saturday, 18 April, after she scaled the railing and the edge of the basin.

To avoid touching the water, she climbed directly onto one of the horse’s legs in the centre of the fountain. The officers immediately intervened and got her out of the fountain.

The woman later told officers that she intended to “touch the statue’s private parts as part of a sort of pre-wedding challenge”.

After the incident, specialists from the Palazzo Vecchio Workshop carried out an inspection and found “minor but significant” damage to both the horses’ hooves and a frieze.

The woman is thought to have clung to the frieze to prevent herself from slipping.

The tourist has been reported to the judicial authorities for defacing an artistic and architectural monument.

The city of Florence added in its statement that the woman is presumed innocent until a final judgment is reached by authorities.

This is not the first time the fountain has been damaged. It has been subject to vandalism since it was first built.

The Museum of Florence said a protective railing had to be installed as early as 1592 due to people using the water to wash.

One of the statues was stolen in 1830, and the sculpture was also damaged by cannonballs in 1848.

Most notably, the museum says a vandal climbed onto Neptune in 2005, broke off his hand, and chipped the pool below.

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