WATCH: Grand collapse at the museum - tourist sits on a priceless crystal chair and breaks it!
That was my logic years ago when I lovingly ran my fingers over an ancient Egyptian stone tablet in the Nubian Museum in Aswan. The hieroglyphics were breathtaking, and I was completely entranced… until a very polite curator tapped me on the shoulder and explained (with a smile that said 'you silly tourist') that no, the artefacts are not meant to be stroked like a golden retriever.
The priceless crystal chair incident that has sparked online cringe
Fast-forward to today, and it turns out I'm not alone in my museum misdemeanours. In Italy, a crystal chair inspired by Vincent van Gogh's famous 1888 painting Van Gogh's Chair was recently damaged by a tourist who did more than just look - he sat. Yes, really.
CCTV footage from Palazzo Maffei in Verona shows a man and woman taking turns to pose next to the museum's prized piece, a Swarovski crystal-covered chair by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, created between 2006 and 2007.
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Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Grandmothers behind the stove Scaravella didn't want professional chefs; he wanted real grandmothers, each carrying family recipes shaped by memory, migration, and maternal love. He placed an ad, and soon, grandmothers from every corner of the world responded. 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