An American tourist in Rome has been banned from the city's iconic Spanish Steps for life after she and a friend caused $26,000 worth of damage to them with an electric scooter.
The woman, a 28-year-old American tourist, reportedly hurled an electric scooter down the Spanish Steps in Rome. The incident was caught on camera by a passerby who was filming at the time.
Just before the incident the woman and another man were trying to bring their scooters down the stairs. The woman apparently got tired of trying to drag the scooter and decided to just throw it the rest of the way instead.
According to Italian authorities, the scooter damaged the steps on the way down.
Police eventually caught up with the woman and her unidentified male companion. They were first fined $400 for the incident after they reviewed the footage.
The Spanish Steps are one of the most guarded and well-known historical sites in the city. In 2018 police even prohibited people from sitting on the stairs.
After reviewing the damage, police said Tuesday that the scooter had caused damage to the marble that would cost $26,000 to repair. The stone at the stairs had reportedly just been refurbished, according to Italian authorities.
The stairs underwent a $1.5m renovation in 2015, police said.
The woman and her male companion are now banned from ever returning to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tourism has returned to Rome after pandemic-era restrictions in the city were lifted. While that has been a boon to the local economy, it has also resulted in a few unfortunate incidents involving poorly-behaved tourists.
A week prior to the incident involving the scooter, a Saudi businessman drove his Maserati down the Spanish Steps after he reportedly took "a wrong turn”.
The site is called the Spanish Stairs because the Spanish embassy in Rome sits at the top of the landmark, as does the Trinita dei Monti church. The stairs were built between 1723 and 1726 based on the designs of architect Francesco de Sanctis and were later added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
