Overview

• On June 17 around 4 a.m. an 80-year-old Roman resident mistakenly drove his Mercedes A-Class sedan down the 135 travertine steps of the Spanish Steps.
• The driver told police he had “got mixed up” while on his way to work and later tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
• Firefighters used a crane to lift the immobilized vehicle off the landmark and officials confirmed that the steps suffered no damage.
• Municipal police cited the man and reported him to judicial authorities as part of an ongoing probe into potential damage to a national monument.
• Under Italian heritage laws, damaging a protected site can carry up to one year in prison and a fine exceeding €2,000, and a similar case occurred in 2022.