Foreign Tourists Damaged Italian Artist Statues From The 19th Century: Police Hold Investigations, Will Be Asked To Change Loss

Villa Alceo with a Dominant Statue in his yard. (Source: Facebook Villa Alceo)

JAKARTA - A group of young German tourists posing for photos and uploading to social media, allegedly dropped a 19th-century fountain statue at a villa in northern Italy, the villa manager said.

It took place earlier this month. Two tourists went up to the fountain to hug the statue of "Domina" by artist Enrico Butti and another pushed it with a stick before the 1.70 meter high statue fell to the ground, said Bruno Golferini, Villa Alceo manager in Viggiu City, Italy, as reported by Reuters on August 20.

Golferini said he had reported 17 tourists who rented the villa to the local police. The tourist group itself has left Italy. Luckily, the incident was caught on CCTV camera.

"When we realized it, it was too late," Golferini told Italian news station TGCOM 24, as quoted by Euronews. The statue was about 150 years old and worth about 200,000 euros, Golferini added, saying it would be difficult to repair it because there was additional damage to the tiles in the fountain.

"Domina is arguably the woman who protects the villa," he said.

"Sadly, there are stupid people who do things like this," he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Italian Transport Minister in a post on Instagram said, "Instead of influencers, let's say they're stupid."

Meanwhile,ruis Caruso, a member of the Lombardy region's cultural council, told Corriere della Sera the tourist group had to pay the losses incurred.

"Those who destroy the artistic and cultural heritage must pay dearly," he said.

It is known, this villa located in northern Italy is a luxury holiday property and a wedding venue. The rate reaches 6,149 US dollars per night, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.

Prior to this incident, Italians were also furious after a British tourist scribbled on the Colosseum wall on Rome with the words "Ivan + Hayley 23" in June.