Florence, soils Vasari Corridor to make a declaration of love, 38-year-old man charged

It will cost a 38-year-old Italian man dearly the manner in which he wanted to make a declaration of love to a Florentine girl. In fact, the man thought it best to daub the columns of the Vasari Corridor in Florence with seven inscriptions in honor of the young woman: “I love you Connie Rakaia, by Viktor Key Tattoo.” The events date back to the night between Easter and Easter Monday (between April 21 and 22), and thanks to camera footage, the love-struck graffiti artist was identified and was met with a complaint for damage and defacement. For the officers, the task was not particularly difficult: by listening to witnesses, analyzing camera footage and identifying thanks to social media the identity of the recipient, the name “Viktor Key Tattoo” was traced.

In 2019, the Florence Municipal Police points out, there were six complaints for the same crimes: four defacements took place on the Ponte Vecchio, one on the Lungarno Archibusieri (also on the Vasari Corridor) and one in Piazza San Giovanni. In most cases these were tourists who wanted to leave a mark of their presence in Florence, while rarer are the expressions of one’s feelings of love via writing on a wall. “I understand the purposes of love,” said Mayor Dario Nardella, “but there are more respectful ways to be able to express good feelings toward one’s beloved. Certainly not to deface monuments that are for us a symbol of beauty and must be a reminder to everyone to show total respect. In the future we will equip ourselves, in agreement with the court, so that we can also pay in kind in the sense that those who dirty then must be forced to clean up.” Eike Schmidt, director of the Uffizi (of which the Vasari Corridor is a part) has already let it be known that the museum will seek damages, since cleaning up the graffiti is a delicate and costly operation.

Pictured: the Vasari Corridor. Ph. Credit Giovanni Dall’Orto

Florence, soils Vasari Corridor to make a declaration of love, 38-year-old man charged

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