By Tim Binnall
A tourist cruising the streets of Rome in a rented Maserati SUV took a wrong turn that has landed him in considerable legal trouble when he shockingly drove down the city's famed Spanish Steps and badly damaged the legendary landmark. The jaw-dropping incident reportedly occurred last week as the unnamed Saudi national was visiting the Italian capital on vacation. While heading back to his hotel in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the man steered his SUV down the 18th-century marble monument and wound up getting the vehicle stuck on the iconic staircase, which has appeared in a myriad of movies and television shows.
Security camera footage from the mishap shows the man driving down the stairs, exiting the SUV, and expressing dismay at the unfathomable predicament. After an attempt to enlist a tow truck for help proved to be futile, the man eventually managed to escape the situation by turning the vehicle around and driving back up the steps, which no doubt caused additional damage to the landmark. Perhaps thinking that he could get away with the motorvehicle misadventure, the man eventually headed to the airport with the intention of going back home to Saudi Arabia, but police were waiting for him to return the rented SUV and subsequently arrested the tourist before he could leave the country.
Authorities say that the destructive detour caused two of the steps to become fractured and they will now need to be restored by experts. For his part, the man has apologized and taken full responsibility for the incident, though his attorney insists that the wrong turn was due to his GPS instructing him to head in that direction. Regardless of whether the man's drive down the stairs was truly in error or actually the result of an ill-advised joyride, he could face considerable consequences for his actions as he has been charged with 'aggravated damage to cultural heritage and monuments,' which carries a possible prison sentence and a hefty fine.