A group of holidaymakers has been criticised and named "imbeciles" after their disrespectful behaviour led to the destruction of a £172,000 statue. The tourists were in Viggiu, Italy, when they were filmed climbing on and hugging the expensive artwork.
The German lads were roundly slammed for breaking the stone figure in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Two of the 17 pals were caught on CCTV scaling the 150-year-old installation.
One wrapped his arms around the "Domina" sculpture while another pushed it with a stick. Unfortunately, their rough behaviour and lack of balance led to the state tumbling off its stand and onto the ground.
READ MORE: Amsterdam warns Brits to 'stay away' in bid to cut down sex and drug tourism
The figures head was decapitated and its torso split into two. he property’s manager, Bruno Golferini, was left to call the police and report the group, who have now reportedly left Italy.
He told an Italian news station: "When we realised, it was too late. The boys did not respect the ban on entering the fountain and were filmed by video surveillance cameras while two of them embraced the statue, dropping it and destroying it, while four of their comrades shot videos with their cell phones."
Unfortunately, the statue would be hard to repair according to the manager due to additional damage caused to the fountain’s tiles. The damaged "Domina" statue is by the artist Enrico Butti and is valued at £173,000.
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister, weighed in on the issue, accusing the group of being "imbeciles" instead of "influencers". Francesca Caruso, culture councillor for the Lombardy region, said: "Those who damage the artistic and cultural heritage must pay a steep price."
It's not the first time that tourists have been slammed for damaging or disrespecting an important cultural feature. Earlier this year, a man horrified social media users when he carved his and his girlfriend's name into Rome's Colosseum.
He is accused of etching "Ivan + Hayley 23" – his and his girlfriend's names – on the 2,000-year-old amphitheatre with a key. His apparent actions were filmed by a bystander in June and sparked widespread condemnation.
While last year, a Russian influencer was deported from Bali to Moscow after posing naked by a tree. Instagram star Alina Fazleeva shared nude images herself at the site of Kayu putih, a 700-year-old weeping paperbark tree, pushing her boobs against the bark as she looks over her shoulder.
The tree is sacred on the island and as such she was banned from returning to Indonesia. Now, the nation has published a guidebook to prevent holidaymakers from insulting the locals.
Plus, in 2022, two pieces of art have been damaged at a museum in the Vatican City after an angry tourist vented his frustration after being denied a meeting with Pope Francis. The American smashed the two statues after being told he could not meet the head of the Catholic church.
Source: Read Full Article