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An American tourist is fined £500 for trying to drive his rented Fiat Panda across Italy’s famous medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge while trying to find a parking spot.
- A California man told police he didn’t even know he was on the famous bridge
- He told police that he was looking for a parking space during a trip to Florence.
An American tourist was fined 500 euros this week after trying to cross Italy’s famous medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge in a rented Fiat Panda.
The Californian man, who has not been identified, was reportedly looking for a parking space.
He told police he didn’t even know he was on the famous bridge, which is usually packed with tourists and is one of Florence’s most famous sites.
An American tourist was fined 500 euros this week after trying to cross Italy’s famous medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge in a rented Fiat Panda.
The Ponte Vecchio is a 98-foot landmark that spans the famously narrow Arno River and the cobbled walkway is lined with shops.
The original bridge was built in 996 and completed in 1345, but has since been washed away by floods and rebuilt several times.
A spokesman for the city of Florence said CNN the man was also fined for driving without an international driving permit.
The 34-year-old man attempted to cross the bridge on the afternoon of January 26 in a rented Fiat Panda.
The police quickly stopped him, reportedly telling them that he had been planning to explore Florence by car.
The bridge is the only one in the entire city that remained standing after World War II, narrowly escaping the bombing.
It is about to undergo a renovation project worth 2 million euros.