An 80-year-old man who drove his car down the Spanish Steps in Rome at 4am on Tuesday has told police he took a wrong turn on the way to work.
The local man, who has not been named, steered his compact Mercedes A-class car off the street at the top of the historic site and careered down the steps before coming to halt halfway down, where police found him.
“I am sorry. I have made a mistake,” the man told officers, adding that he had got his streets mixed up on the way to work.
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The police force said: “He was uninjured and seemed clear-headed and tested negative for alcohol, but it is strange he claimed he was heading to work at that time of day.”
