Latest news with #EuropeanLandmarks
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Car driving down Spanish Steps in Rome caught on video by hotel worker
A man in his 80s was caught on video driving a compact luxury Mercedes-Benz A Class sedan down the landmark Spanish Steps in Rome before getting stuck partway down. A video taken by a hotel worker from a window shows the car slowly making its way down the steps early on Tuesday. The peculiar sight happened so early that the lampposts on the steps were still illuminated and crowds hadn't yet flocked to the popular 18th-century site in the Italian capital. The man tested negative for alcohol and was cited on the spot for driving down the monument in Rome's historic center, municipal police said in a statement. Police said the man, a resident of Rome, was at a loss to explain how he had wound up driving down the famed steps. The man, who emerged from the vehicle wearing a suit and tie, told the police that he thought he was going to work. They did not release his name and it was unclear if the car was his. The small sporty car was later removed by firefighters using a crane. A car that was driven by mistake down the Spanish Steps in Rome on June 17, 2025, is lifted from the landmark in a picture Italian firefighters posted to social media. Vigili del Fuoco On Thursday, police said the man's driver's license and other documents were in order, but they are now studying the case to determine whether his license should be removed. They did not indicate if he will be fined. Experts from the Ministry of Culture are examining the historic steps to see if the vehicle caused any damage and will send a report to the police. An image made available June 19, 2025, by the Italian firefighters shows a car that was driven by mistake by a man down the Spanish Steps in Rome early on June 17, 2025. Vigili del Fuoco via AP The Spanish Steps, one of Rome's most recognizable monuments, have never been intended for motor vehicles, although some thrill-seekers have tried their luck. A Saudi man was charged with aggravated damage to cultural heritage after a surveillance camera recorded him driving a rented Maserati down the 135 travertine steps in 2022. The Spanish Steps take their name from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See in the nearby square. A famed background for numerous films, they were built in the 1720s and have long been a popular spot to people-watch and hang out.
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
A Man Drove a Car Down Rome's Spanish Steps. It Did Not Go Great.
What's the quickest way down Rome's Spanish Steps? Definitely not by car. Before dawn on Tuesday morning, an 80-year-old man behind the wheel of a Mercedes A-Class tried to navigate the sedan down the iconic steps, which are closed to vehicles, according to Rome's police department. The car made it part of the way down but got stuck, the authorities said. Nobody was injured and the police did not announce any damage to the monument. The driver tested negative for alcohol, the police said in a statement. The police did not identify the driver or say where he was from, but did release a photo of him, standing by the vehicle and dressed in a suit, talking to a police officer. According to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, the man was in a state of confusion. A video of the episode circulating online shows the car slowly making its way down the steps. The fire department later removed the car from the steps with a crane. Sowad Mujibullah was working a night shift at a nearby hotel just before 4 a.m. on Tuesday when he heard a loud sound and saw the car come down the steps. He initially thought that it was part of a movie shoot, but 'then I realized, no, it was not like that, because nobody was there.' He captured video of the incident, which he called shocking. The steps are one of the most historic places in Italy, he said in a phone interview, adding: 'It should not be destroyed by these crazy things.' Destroying or damaging a monument or property that has significant value in Rome is punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of more than 2,000 euros ($2,300). Prohibitions against vehicles on the Spanish Steps, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti in Italian, have not prevented other incidents. In 2022, American tourists pushed an electric scooter down the steps, causing 25,000 euros in damage. The same year, a man drove a Maserati sports car down the steps after taking a wrong turn.
