Two tourists have managed to break off a piece of a priceless Italian statue which smashed to the floor after they tried to climb it and take a selfie.

The ‘Statue of the two Hercules,’ which sits in the northern Italian town of Cremona, shows the city’s emblem being held by two depictions of Hercules, the mythological demi-God who is said to have founded the city.

A large crown is shown sitting on top of the city emblem in the statue. It is part of the crown which broke off when the tourists tried to climb it, the Local reports.

The incident happened on Friday night and by Sunday police had identified two perpetrators, according to the Corriere della Sera.

It’s said to be a common fantasy: having sex in Pompeii's former red-light district, which is decorated with explicit frescoes. This week, a Frenchman and two Italian women were caught in mid-orgy in the Roman town and subsequently arrested. “They don’t understand the cultural value of the frescoes at all,” a tour guide complained to The Local.