American tourist causes $25,000 damage after throwing electric scooter down Rome’s Spanish Steps 

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American woman, 28, is banned from Rome’s 18th-century Spanish Steps for life after she and friend caused $26,000 worth of damage by driving their e-scooters on the heritage site

  • The woman was seen at 3.45am on Friday throwing the scooter down the steps 
  • She and her male companion, 29, were fined $400 and banned from the site
  • The 18th century steps have recently undergone a $1.5million restoration
  • Do you recognize the woman in the video? Email: [email protected]

An American tourist has caused $25,000 worth of damage after hurling an e-scooter down Rome’s historic Spanish Steps.

The 28-year-old and her male companion, 29, were fined $400 by police after footage showed her deciding to launch the rented vehicle down the 18th century Unesco World Heritage Site.

A passerby recorded the woman struggling down the stairs with the electric scooter, and instead of carrying it down, she instead pushed it and watched it tumble, crashing into the recently refurbished stone.

An American tourist has caused $25,000 worth of damage after hurling an e-scooter down Rome's historic Spanish Steps

An American tourist has caused $25,000 worth of damage after hurling an e-scooter down Rome’s historic Spanish Steps

The 28-year-old and her male companion, 29, were fined by police after footage showed her deciding to launch the rented vehicle down the 18th century Unesco World Heritage Site

The 28-year-old and her male companion, 29, were fined by police after footage showed her deciding to launch the rented vehicle down the 18th century Unesco World Heritage Site

The pair are banned from ever returning to the famous monument, made famous by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the film Roman Holiday.

The site underwent a $1.5million restoration project in 2015, financed by upmarket jeweller Bulgari. 

The incident occurred at 3.45am on Friday morning, and security camera footage helped police locate the pair.

It came only weeks after a Saudi businessman, 37, drove a Maserati down the Spanish Steps after ‘taking a wrong turn’.

The tourist told Corriere della Sera: ‘Yes, it was me who drove the car down the Spanish Steps. But I just took a wrong turn.’

The pair are banned from ever returning to the famous monument which underwent a $1.5million restoration project in 2015

The pair are banned from ever returning to the famous monument which underwent a $1.5million restoration project in 2015

He added he did not think it was ‘so serious’ after driving down the famous site.

The businessman had been on his way home with a Romanian woman he had met in a nightclub when he drove down the steps, then tried to reverse back up them.

He was forced to call a tow truck before a passerby helped him get the car back on the road.  

The Steps, designed by architect Francesco de Sanctis between 1723 and 1726 and dominated by the Trinita dei Monti church at the top, are a UNESCO site.

The Spanish Embassy is also located at the top of the stairs, lending the site its name. 

The Steps, designed by architect Francesco de Sanctis between 1723 and 1726 and dominated by the Trinita dei Monti church at the top, are a UNESCO site

The Steps, designed by architect Francesco de Sanctis between 1723 and 1726 and dominated by the Trinita dei Monti church at the top, are a UNESCO site

What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A World Heritage Site is an area of particular interest which is given legal protection by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The sites must have cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance and be of ‘outstanding value to humanity’.

The sites can be man-made or natural with 1,154 currently around the world, of which Italy has the most with 58.

Examples include the Taj Majal, Machu Picchu, Serengeti National Park and Stonehenge.

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