Tourist sparks fury in Italy after climbing onto historic statue and imitating sex acts

While the Bacchus statue is not the original, residents and public figures alike have condemned the "rudeness and barbarity" of the act - which they claim follows a campaign of trying to turn the ancient Tuscan city into "Disneyland".

On social media, Italians lambasted the crude acts, with one saying: "If I s**t in the lap of the Lincoln Memorial statue, they would give me the electric chair."

One commentator laid the blame at Florentines' door, saying that their votes in the city's mayoral election last month - 60 per cent of which went to the centre-left candidate Sara Funaro - meant they had condemned themselves to the "same line-up as the last 25 years" and the "drug dealing, violence and rudeness" which that brought on.

Others called for hefty fines for the act while more lamented how police were harsher on anti-social behaviour in the past - echoing similar sentiments exhibited by anti-tourist protesters in other European destinations like Barcelona and the Canary Islands in Spain.

While the tourist's nationality isn't clear, hundreds of social media users were quick to assume she was American - with one comment, which has gained hundreds of 'likes', simply reading: "Americagna [Amerib**ch]".

But the outrage wasn't limited to the general public; campaigners and public figures weighed in too with their condemnation.

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Patrizia Asproni, president of Confcultura, an Italian cultural heritage group, said these "repeated shows of rudeness and barbarity" happen "because everyone feels entitled to do whatever they want with impunity".

Asproni expressed her desire for a "Singapore model", involving "tight checks, sky-high fines and zero tolerance" for bad behaviour.

Meanwhile Antonella Rinaldi, Florence's archeology and fine arts superintendent, said: "Tourists are welcome here - but they need to respect our artworks, be they originals or replicas."

"Although I doubt this lady - whom I condemn - even knows the difference," she jabbed.

The original work, a 16th century sculpture by Giambologna, is tucked safely away in the nearby Bargello museum.

But not all Italians were united in their criticism; firebrand former MP and MEP, Vittorio Sgarbi, defended the tourist on social media.

Sgarbi said: "In Florence, a girl climbed onto Giambologna's statue, miming a sexual act. It is a transfiguration: when art is truer than life... A loving exaltation.

"No real man can compete with Cellini's Perseus. A drunk girl, performing a critical, non-erotic act!"