Latest news with #RomeTourism
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The dramatic moment a pensioner gets stuck driving down iconic Rome landmark - before being hoisted out by crane
A pensioner accidentally got stuck driving down Rome's famous Spanish Steps, and ended up having to be rescued by police, firefighters and a crane. At around 4am on Tuesday, an unnamed 80-year-old man was driving his Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan through Italy 's capital, when he accidentally turned onto the historic landmark. A video that's gone viral shows the car falling halfway down the 135 stone steps, before coming to a complete stop, wedged and unable to move further. The car is then seen being lifted off the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti by a crane. Following the incident, the area was quickly cordoned off, police officers and firefighters were called to the scene, and public access to the Spanish Steps was temporarily restricted. According to CNN, archaeologists were also brought in to assess the site for any damage, which is a common occurrence with protected heritage sites. Although an inspection revealed damage to the vehicle, officials have yet to confirm whether the staircase itself sustained any harm. While it's unclear how exactly this accident happened, the man told police he'd been 'going to work' at the time. While it's unclear how exactly this accident happened, the man told police he'd been 'going to work' at the time The officers at the scene stopped him and took him to hospital, where tests confirmed he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and was unharmed. This isn't the first time someone has mistakenly driven down the Spanish Steps. In 2022, a 37-year-old man from Saudi Arabia drove a Maserati down the same staircase, causing physical damage to the monument. Unlike this man, that driver fled the scene but was later tracked down thanks to CCTV footage and rental car records. He was eventually arrested at Milan's Malpensa airport and charged with aggravated damage to cultural heritage and monuments.
New York Times
2 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.
