Venice Mayor Wants to Give 'Certificate of Stupidity' to Reckless Tourist

The mayor denounced the traveler's decision to dive off of a building into a canal.

I've done a lot of stupid things in Italy (that I'm sure I shall one day face judgment for), but never have I done anything so stupid that local officials wanted to grant me an official award for it. But then again, I've never flung myself off of a roof in Venice right into the city's famous canals. One man just did, and then received the ire of Mayor Luigi Brugnaro.

In a video posted on Brugnaro's Twitter account, a person can be seen standing at the top of the roof, assuming the stance of a diver. Eventually, they leap off the ledge of the building. But instead of diving into the river in an elegant manner, the person sort of belly flops onto the canal. While I hold no power to hand out Certificates of Stupidity, I am certainly judging the jumper for their form. The man then climbs out of the canal and is handed a towel by a friend, who had filmed the whole thing.

"This 'subject' should be given a certificate of STUPIDITY and a lot of kicks," Brugnaro wrote in Italian on Twitter. "We are trying to identify him, to report him, him and his buddy below who made the stupid video for social media."

According to The Independent, the leaper and his cameraman have not been found, but Brugnaro is insistent on finding the pair. I don't know if Brugnaro will be able to seek out the duo, but I have a feeling they won't be getting a certificate of any sort. More likely, a hefty fine and probably a stern talking to from the expressive mayor.

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Opheli Garcia Lawler is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.