Confused driver takes car down Rome’s famous Spanish Steps, no damage reported

An 80-year-old man tried to drive a Mercedes down Rome's Spanish Steps, getting stuck. Photo / Thomas Koehler, Photothek via Getty Images

What’s the quickest way down Rome’s Spanish Steps?

Definitely not by car.

Before dawn local time on Tuesday, an 80-year-old Italian 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, authorities said.

Nobody was injured, and police did not announce any damage to the monument.

“After conducting all necessary checks, the driver was reported to the judicial authorities,” police said in an email.

The driver tested negative for alcohol, police added.

Police did not identify the driver but released a photo of him, standing by the vehicle and dressed in a suit, talking to a police officer.

According to 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 4am 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 realised, 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 €2000 ($2300).

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 in damage. The same year, a man drove a Maserati sports car down the steps after taking a wrong turn.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Claire Moses

Photograph by: Thomas Koehler

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