Italy faces trourist trouble: German tourists accused of destroying 500-year-old monument

A German tourist caused significant damage to one of Florence's most famous fountains.

According to city authorities, the 22-year-old individual climbed the Neptune Fountain on Monday night in the Italian art metropolis to take photographs.

A piece of marble broke off from the monument as a result, and the horse that the man climbed on also suffered damage to its hoof.The estimated cost of the damage is 5,000 euros.

Officials have been tracking down the tourist using footage from security cameras.

Florence Mayor Dario Nardella shared one of the resulting photos on his Facebook and Twitter pages on Monday.The young German obscured his face but wrote the following: "There can be no valid excuse for ignorance and vandalism towards cultural heritage."The tourist is now expected to face a significant fine.