Elderly man drives down Rome’s Spanish Steps and gets stuck

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"Elderly Driver Gets Stuck on Rome's Spanish Steps After Wrong Turn"

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An 80-year-old man has admitted to police that it was a mistake to drive down the iconic Spanish Steps in Rome after he became stuck in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The incident occurred around 4 a.m., prompting the Italian Fire Brigade to respond and use a crane to recover the gray Mercedes-Benz A-Class that had wedged itself halfway down the historic staircase. Fortunately, the driver did not sustain any injuries during the incident but was taken to the hospital for evaluation. City police reported that he tested negative for both drugs and alcohol. The man, who has not been publicly identified, claimed he was en route to work and had inadvertently taken a wrong turn, although it remains unclear if he was relying on a GPS device to navigate the area.

The Spanish Steps, a significant cultural landmark, have been closed to the public following the incident, and standard procedures dictate that archaeologists will assess the monument for any potential damage. The driver possessed a valid driver's license, which is mandatory for individuals over 80 in Italy, who must renew their licenses every two years and pass medical examinations that include cognitive assessments. This is not the first time the Spanish Steps have faced damage from vehicles; a Saudi man faced legal repercussions in 2022 for causing damage to the steps while driving a Maserati down the same staircase. Additionally, two American tourists were fined for damaging the steps with electric scooters that year. The Spanish Steps, named after the Spanish Embassy located nearby, underwent a significant restoration costing 1.5 million euros, completed in 2015, and have been featured in various films, including the classic 'Roman Holiday' starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

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Source URL: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/18/travel/man-drives-spanish-steps-scli-intl

An 80-year-old man has told police he was “wrong” to drive downRome’sfamedSpanish Steps, after firefighters had to recover his vehicle from the landmark in the early hours of Tuesday.

The man was not injured in the incident but he was nonetheless taken to the hospital, where he tested negative for both drug and alcohol consumption, city police said in a statement.

The driver, who has not been identified, told officers he was “going to work” and had taken a wrong turn, according to Italian media reports. It is unclear if he was using a GPS device.

The gray Mercedes-Benz A-Class car got stuck halfway down the 18th-century staircase around 4 a.m. on Tuesday,the Italian Fire Brigade said in a statement. The car had been stopped by police officers who were patrolling the area.

The fire department said it had to use a crane at the foot of the steps to lift the vehicle off the stairway. Some damage to the vehicle was visible, but it is unclear whether that was the result of Tuesday’s incident.

The steps are currently closed to the public. The normal procedure when Rome’s historic monuments are involved in an incident is for archaeologists to inspect them for damage.

The man had a valid driver’s license, according to Italian media. Under Italian law, drivers over the age of 80 are obliged to renew their license every two years and undergo a medical examination, which includes basic cognition questions.

Back in 2022, a Saudi man tangled with the law after he drove a Maserati down the Spanish Steps. He was charged with aggravated damage to cultural heritage and monuments after the car caused fractures to the 16th and 29th steps of the right-hand flight rising up from the Piazza di Spagna.

That same year two American tourists were fined and briefly banned from Rome’s city center after damaging the steps with electric scooters.

The steps owe their name to the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, which is hosted in a palazzo in the square below.

A two-year, 1.5 million-euro ($1.7 million) restoration of the landmark — which has appeared in numerous movies, most notably 1953’s “Roman Holiday,” starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck — was completed in 2015.

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Source: CNN