German tourists blamed for toppling 150-year-old Italian statue

STORY: Two of the group climbed into a fountain to hug the work "Domina" by the artist Enrico Butti and another pushed it with a stick before the 1.70 metre statue crashed to the ground, Bruno Golferini, the manager of Villa Alceo in the town of Viggiù, said.

Golferini said he had lodged a complaint with the local police against all 17 German tourists who were in the group renting the villa. They have left Italy since the incident on Monday that was captured by the villa's surveillance cameras.

The statue was around 150 years old and valued at around 200,000 euros ($218,000), added Golferini, saying it would be hard to repair because of additional damage to the tiles in the fountain.