Florence locals are reacting with outrage following an incident involving an English-speaking tourist and a historical fountain. It is not the first time tourists are being called out for their bad behaviour in the Italian city.
Since last week, a topless anglophone tourist has become the centre of attention in Florence. In a video shared by the now private Instagram account @welcometoflorence, the woman can be seen swimming in the 15th-century octagonal fountain located on the Piazza Santo Spirito wearing only a pair of black shorts. While doing so, she is inviting her friends and bystanders to join in her nocturnal adventure. Even though they all seemed to ignore the invitation, the video sparked outrage and is causing Florentines to speak up against rude tourists.
The video was shared with one simple line of comment: “Last night in Piazza Santo Spirito a girl bathes in the fountain in ‘mother nature’ style.” To some, this might not be perceived as shocking but the Italians have had enough of international tourists not respecting local rules. In the comments, they are clearly expressing their opinions.
“Shame should come back in fashion,” reads one comment. “Why do tourists that come to our home do whatever the fuck they want, but when we go to their countries we have to do what they say?” another user wrote, while someone else pointed out the water is not exactly clean: “Good job, in that fountain you only wash bums and dogs.”
It’s not only locals that are outraged, but other tourists have also chimed: “This is disgraceful and disrespectful. As an American who has had the privilege of visiting Florence many times, I am appalled by this. This girl should be locked up in jail to teach her how to behave!”
So far, the woman hasn’t been identified yet. It is not clear either what consequences exactly she would face as the fountain wasn’t damaged.
However, it is not the first incident with unrespectful tourists in Florence this summer. Earlier in July, an unidentified woman was filmed while simulating sex with a replica statue of Giambologna’s Bacchus in the Borgo San Jacopo area. If to be identified, she could face a lifetime ban from the city following a law that forbids any form of mistreatment of cultural heritage in Italy. Whether or not the topless woman could face the same fate hasn’t been shared.
