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5h ago

80-Year-Old Driver Cited After Mercedes Becomes Stuck on Rome’s Spanish Steps

With wheels lodged midway, the compact sedan required a crane to be freed from the historic monument.

The car's driver told police he was on the way to work when he took a wrong turn.
Image
This image shared by Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s fire and rescue service, shows a vehicle being removed after it drove down and got stuck on Rome’s Spanish Steps, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

Overview

  • The incident occurred on June 17 when an 80-year-old man steered a Mercedes-Benz A-Class onto the 135 travertine steps of the Spanish Steps and became lodged partway.
  • Municipal police administered an alcohol test that returned negative and issued an on-the-spot citation for unauthorized driving on the pedestrian landmark.
  • Rome’s Vigili del Fuoco deployed a crane to hoist the luxury sedan from the steps after it could not be driven off under its own power.
  • Officials have not disclosed the driver’s identity, the car’s ownership status or whether navigation instructions led him onto the monument.
  • This episode follows a 2022 case in which a Saudi national was charged with aggravated damage for driving a rented Maserati down the same staircase and highlights risks to cultural heritage sites.