Italian police have arrested a 37-year-old man for driving down Rome’s iconic Trinità dei Monti, also known as the Spanish Steps, in a rented Maserati Levante.
CCTV footage showed the black Levante driving down the steps in the early hours of the morning. Apparently, the Maserati’s driver didn’t really think the bizarre stunt through, as the SUV’s license plates were on full display and local authorities were quick to trace it back to a Milan-based rental car company.
Polizia Roma Capitale wrote on Facebook that they were able to identify the driver of the SUV thanks to the help of the rental company. He was arrested at Milan-Malpensa airport trying to return the car.
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Sky News reports that the Maserati caused cracks on the 16th and 29th steps of the right-hand stairway, requiring temporary repairs to allow continued pedestrian use. Rome’s monuments protection agency said some of the fragments had been reattached to the staircase, but added that further work was needed to restore them properly.
After the incident, “extensive chipping, scratches, abrasions and debris were discovered on both second level ramps, attributable to the same event.”
The motivations of the man behind the bizarre stunt remain unclear.
The Spanish Steps run from the Trinità dei Monti church at the top to the Piazza di Spagna at the bottom. Built between 1723 and 1725, they have become one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions.
