Tourist Climbs Old Fountain in Florence and Causes Damage

Apr 23, 2026, 13:43

Introduction

A 28-year-old woman was arrested in Florence on Saturday. She climbed the Fountain of Neptune. It is in Piazza della Signoria. She was at a party before a wedding. The damage cost about €5,000.

Main Body

The woman''s country is not known. Police saw her climb the fountain. She said her friends dared her to touch the statue''s private parts. The fountain is very old. It was made in 1559. It has a statue of a god named Neptune. He is on a chariot. The woman stepped on the horses. She broke their hooves. She also broke a part of the fountain. She is charged with damaging art. She is innocent until a court decides. This happened before. In 2005, a tourist broke the statue''s hand. Then the city put cameras. In 2023, a German tourist caused damage. Other places in Italy also had problems. In 2024, Italy made a new law. People must pay big fines for damage.

Conclusion

This case shows it is hard to protect old buildings and statues from tourists. Italian police and courts try to stop this with fines and punishment.

Vocabulary Learning

break
To separate into pieces; to make something not whole.打破（使分開成碎片；使不完整）
Example:She broke the horse's hooves.
climb
To go up something using your hands and feet.爬（用雙手和腳向上移動）
Example:The woman climbed the fountain.
damage
Harm or injury that makes something not work well or look bad.損壞（使某物不能正常運作或外觀變差）
Example:She caused damage to the fountain.
fine
Money that you must pay as a punishment for breaking a rule.罰款（因違反規則而必須支付的錢）
Example:Tourists must pay big fines for damage.
old
Having existed for a long time; not new.古老的（存在很長時間的；不新的）
Example:The fountain is very old.

Sentence Learning

A 28-year-old woman was arrested in Florence on Saturday.
Passive voice: subject (woman) receives action.本句為被動語態，主詞「女子」接受「逮捕」的動作。
She climbed the Fountain of Neptune.
Simple past tense: subject + verb (climbed).本句為簡單過去式，主詞「她」加上過去式動詞「爬」。
The fountain is very old.
Present simple with 'be': subject + is + adjective.本句為現在簡單式，主詞「噴泉」加上系動詞「是」以及形容詞「古老」。
She broke their hooves.
Simple past tense: subject + verb (broke) + object.本句為簡單過去式，主詞「她」加上過去式動詞「弄斷」以及受詞「馬蹄」。
She is charged with damaging art.
Present passive: subject + is charged with + gerund.本句為現在被動語態，主詞「她」加上「被指控」以及動名詞「破壞」。