Outrage has erupted in Italy after a female tourist in Florence was photographed mimicking a lewd act on a statue of the Roman god Bacchus. The pictures, shared by the social media account Welcome To Florence, show the woman kissing the life-size statue at night.
The Bacchus statue, a modern replica of a 16th-century piece by sculptor Giambologna, stands on a plinth near the iconic Ponte Vecchio bridge. The original statue is housed in the nearby Bargello museum.
The photos have sparked angry reactions online, with some social media users calling for the woman’s arrest. One user criticized the situation, saying, “This is the result of years of attempts at turning Florence into Disneyland.”
Patrizia Asproni, president of Confcultura, an association promoting Italy’s cultural heritage, expressed her frustration to the Italian media. She condemned these “repeated shows of rudeness and barbarity,” attributing them to a sense of entitlement and lack of consequences for inappropriate behavior. Asproni suggested adopting the “Singapore model,” advocating for strict checks, hefty fines, and zero tolerance for such misconduct.
Antonella Rinaldi, Florence’s archaeology and fine arts superintendent, emphasized the need for tourists to respect artworks, whether they are originals or replicas. “Tourists are welcome here, but they need to respect our artworks,” she said, adding, “I doubt this lady – whom I condemn – even knows the difference.”
Florence is a top tourist destination, attracting around 1.5 million visitors in the summer of 2023, despite its population being only 382,000. The influx of tourists often turns the city’s narrow streets into crowded thoroughfares, a phenomenon known as “overtourism.”
In response to similar challenges, cities worldwide have made changes to manage tourist numbers. For instance, Barcelona’s mayor recently pledged to eliminate short-term tourist rentals within five years, and destinations like Venice and Japan’s Mount Fuji have started imposing daily charges to control visitor numbers.
