A tourist sparked the ire of Italian art lovers after accidentally tearing into a Renaissance painting when he tripped at one of the country’s most famous galleries. Footage from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence shows the culprit, who has not been named, posing for a selfie beside a portrait by celebrated painter Anton Domenico Gabbiani of Ferdinando de’ Medici, the Grand Prince of Tuscany. The man is seen to lose his balance, falling backwards to leave a hole toward the bottom of the frame. While the damage was reportedly minor, the portrait has since been removed for repair, with the tourist reported to local police. A trade union representing workers at the museum says that apparently, he had tripped on a platform placed below the artwork specifically to keep tourists from getting too close. “The problem of visitors coming to museums to make memes or take selfies for social media is rampant,” one member of staff said. “We will set very precise limits, preventing behaviour that is not compatible with the sense of our institutions and respect for cultural heritage. The tourist, who was immediately identified, will be prosecuted.”
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