A HEN-DO reveller has been charged with criminal damage after scaling an historic statue of the sea god Neptune to touch his willy.
Police swooped and arrested the Polish woman after she scaled the 14-foot marble statue in Florence in a pre-wedding prank.
The Fountain of Neptune created by the sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati Credit: Getty
The statue suffered ‘minor but significant’ damage Credit: Getty
She caused an estimated £4,340-worth of damage (€5,000) to the prized fountain artwork in the city’s Piazza della Signoria.
The statue – created by the sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati in 1559 – suffered “minor but significant” damage to the hooves of a horse below Neptune and a frieze.
Florence city council officials said the 28-year-old woman said her friends had dared her to touch Neptune’s genitals.
The statue is monitored by CCTV and the woman was immediately spotted by police and arrested within minutes.
To gain access to the monument the woman reportedly climbed over the grating directly onto the legs of the horses.
She was charged with criminal damage and is due to appear in court on a date to be fixed.
It is not the first time a tourist has tried to mount Neptune.
The fountain’s basin is surrounded by horses that pull a shell-shaped chariot below a statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
CCTV cameras were installed in 2005 after a visitor climbed the statue, breaking one of the hands.
And in 2023 a German tourist caused significant damage after scaling the monument for a selfie.
It comes after in June 2025.
The man smashed two of the priceless clay warrior statues at a museum in the city of Xi’An.
Security guards for the museum quickly stepped in to grab the intruder before he inflicted more damage.
Authorities said the man, identified only by his surname Sun, suffered from mental health problems.
An investigation was launched into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
That same month two senseless visitors in Italy.
The chair, designed by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, is adorned with hundreds of Swarovski crystals making it “extremely fragile and delicate”, according to local media.
CCTV footage showed the man daringly take a seat on the artefact which instantly broke apart.
Following the incident, the museum confirmed the chair was fully restored by experts.
The statue is located in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy Credit: Alamy
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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