A video released in recent hours on social media showed two young men atop the facade of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. The images, taken from a distance and posted on the Welcome to Favelas Instagram profile, document an incident that drew immediate attention from authorities. In the footage, two people can clearly be seen: one is standing behind one of the two statues of angels placed at the top of the facade, while the other is positioned even higher, right on the cross that dominates the entire monumental complex. A gesture considered dangerous, as Open magazine also reports, both for the safety of the protagonists and for the protection of the architectural work, one of the main symbols of Florence’s historical and artistic heritage.
“We are facing a serious and irresponsible act, of extreme danger for those who carried it out and for the preservation of the artistic heritage. We will activate all the necessary technical controls to verify any damage, reserving of course the right to lodge a complaint with the competent authorities,” theOpera di Santa Croce claims about the video, according to Open.
Law enforcement and heritage conservation agencies are conducting checks to ascertain the veracity of the footage and trace the identity of the two protagonists. If the authenticity of the footage is confirmed, the time, manner and responsibility for the incident will be determined. At present, it is not known whether the video was shot in the past few days or at an earlier time. In any case, initial investigations would have suggested the possibility that the access occurred via an exterior staircase of the building.
Structural inspections of the Basilica’s facade and adjacent areas are scheduled for Monday to ascertain the presence of any damage caused by the episode. The nature and condition of the architecture make any unauthorized access potentially risky for the stability of decorative and structural elements, as well as for the safety of those involved in such initiatives.
The episode does not represent an isolated case. In July 2024, another video posted on Instagram had sparked controversy and concern among institutions and citizens. On that occasion, a young man had illegally entered the interior of the Dome of Florence Cathedral, gaining access to areas normally forbidden to the public. In the footage, the young man could be seen moving between interior passages and then walking outside the Cathedral, tens of meters high, along the structure’s exterior surfaces. Even then, the gesture had attracted the attention of law enforcement and the City Council, which launched investigations.
The tendency to perform risky feats in order to obtain viral content to post on social media is an increasingly common phenomenon and often a subject of debate. The quest for online visibility pushes some users to put risks, both to themselves and to the collective heritage, on the back burner. Authorities, as well as the relevant superintendencies, have long expressed concern about the increase in incidents of illegal incursions into monuments and historic places.
It also remains to be clarified whether the protagonists of the video acted alone or with the help of others, and whether they took autonomous footage in addition to the one that ended up online. At the moment, the Instagram profile that spread the content does not appear to be directly involved in the incident, limiting itself to posting the video. In any case, the dissemination of such content raises new questions about the role of social platforms in indirectly promoting dangerous or illegal behavior.
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| Two boys climb the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence for a selfie: video on social media |
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