A group of young German tourists visiting a villa in northern Italy have been accused of toppling a valuable statue while taking pictures for social media, according to the villa’s manager. The incident occurred when two of the group climbed into a fountain to hug the statue, known as “Domina,” created by artist Enrico Butti. Another tourist then pushed the statue with a stick, causing it to crash to the ground. The manager of Villa Alceo in the town of Viggiu, Bruno Golferini, has filed a complaint with local police against all 17 German tourists who were renting the villa at the time.
The surveillance cameras at the villa captured the incident, which took place on Monday. The 1.70-metre statue, which was approximately 150 years old and valued at around 200,000 euros ($218,000), suffered additional damage due to the incident, including damage to the tiles in the fountain. Repairing the statue will be challenging because of the extent of the damage.
Golferini expressed his disappointment, stating that “Domina” served as a symbol of protection for the villa. He remarked on the presence of ignorant individuals who engage in such destructive behavior.
This incident follows a similar act of vandalism in June when an English tourist was photographed vandalizing the Colosseum in Rome with graffiti.
German Tourists Accused of Damaging Valuable Statue in Italian Villa
