A teenager has been reported to police after allegedly sneaking around Florence’s Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore overnight and climbing up to its Cupola del Brunelleschi to take a selfie.
Wearing a black hoodie, jeans and trainers, a person filmed himself walking up an inside stairwell of the world heritage site before reaching the dome level, stepping on to a small platform outside and taking a picture of himself.
Coverage of the stunt was posted on @dedelate, an Instagram account with more than 227,000 followers. It is believed the person had hidden in the cathedral before it closed. An accomplice filmed the alleged exploit from outside the cathedral, apparently capturing the protagonist fleeing the building.
The teenager has not been officially identified but reports in the Italian press said he was a 17-year-old from Lombardy who was known for taking on similar selfie-driven challenges, including one at Milan Cathedral in May, for which he was reportedly charged.
Luca Bagnoli, the president of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, said a complaint had been made to police.
“We have learned about the unauthorised access to Brunelleschi’s dome,” he told La Nazione newspaper. “The cathedral of Florence is a sacred and monumental place, a world heritage site. But unfortunately for some it is also a playground, and this is saddening. The relevant authorities will take care of the rest.”
The suspect has previously allegedly recorded stunts on the roof of Milan’s San Siro stadium and the Ariston theatre in Sanremo, where the annual song festival is held.
Fabiola Minoletti, a vice-president of a Milan residents’ committee, told Il Giorno newspaper: “Dede continues his exploits. Why can’t we contain these people, with such arrogant attitudes? He not only risks his life each time, but [the stunts] could generate dangerous emulations.”
One of the suspect’s followers has now challenged him to climb to the top of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
