Two American tourists have been banned from Rome’s Spanish Steps after one of them chucked an e-scooter down the 18th century landmark, causing £21,000-worth of damage.
In footage filmed by a stunned passer-by, an unnamed woman was seen throwing the rented vehicle down the UNESCO World Heritage Site in an apparent fit of frustration.
According to Italian publication La Repubblica, the female traveller reportedly threw the scooter twice more 'for sheer amusement' after the initial video ended.
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Following the incident, which took place at 3:45am on Friday (June 2), the 28-year-old and her male pal, 29, were fined £343 each by police, who tracked them down using security footage.
Authorities subsequently confiscated their rented e-scooters and banned them from going to the Piazza di Spagna for two days, the newspaper reported.
Police have since claimed that two steps had been cracked in the incident, causing a total of £21,000-worth of damage.
It comes just weeks after a man drove his Maserati down the steps, and was charged with 'aggravated damage to cultural and monumental assets'.
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Rome's heritage protection body said the vehicle caused cracked to the 16th and 29th steps of the right-hand staircase.
In 2015, the Eternal City’s most precious landmark underwent a £1.3million restoration which was financed by Italian jeweller Bulgari.
Since it’s restoration, the popular tourist site has become one of the most guarded hotspots in the city, with people banned from sitting on the steps in 2019.
Designed by Francesco de Sanctis between 1723 and 1726, the tourist hotspot was made famous by the 1953 film Roman Holiday, which starred Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, and is deemed one of Rome's architectural masterpieces.
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Away from the city, Maenza, a town that is situated in Rome's Latium region and lies about 70 kilometres south of the Italian capital, was selling homes for a quid under Italy's €1 Houses project.
The scheme launched in 2020 as the country sought to combat towns and villages that were suffering from dwindling or ageing population.
Maenza, which is high up on the wild Lepini hills, was the first town in the Latium region to be included in the scheme.
There were dozens of abandoned stone dwellings that were put on the market for less than a Gregg's pasty, with the hope of breathing new life into the place.
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The town's mayor, Claudio Sperduti, called it a 'pact for the rebirth' of his hometown.
Speaking to CNN at the time, he said he wanted to recover every disused crumbling property by liaising between old owners and potential buyers who'd be interested due to the low prices.
Despite several stipulations, the scheme proved a hit with those looking to get on the property ladder on the continent.
Lisa McLoughlin