Rome (CNN) – Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful centuries-old bridge spanning the Arno River in the Italian city of Florence, is best seen on foot, with crowds of tourists regularly thronging the pedestrian structure to view its ancient stonework.
Especially when, as one tourist in California found out this week, trying to drive through can cost you more than $540.
The unidentified 34-year-old was hit with a 500-euro fine for crossing the bridge in a white Fiat Panda rental car and for driving without an international driver’s license on Thursday morning, according to a statement from the city of Florence. press office.
He told police he was looking for parking and didn’t realize he was on the famous medieval bridge, according to the affidavit.
Ponte Vecchio is closed, filled with shops and normally heavy with pedestrian traffic.
The 98-foot (30-meter) tall monument, which spans the narrowest part of the Arno River, connects the Pitti Palace with Piazza Repubblica. The original bridge was started in 996 and finished in 1345, and has been washed away by floods and rebuilt several times.
It is the only bridge in Florence that was not bombed by Germany in World War II. It also houses the Vasari Corridor, a passage originally used by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici between the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Vecchio.
The city of Florence has allocated 2 million euros for an extensive renovation project, according to the budget of the city of Florence.
The Fiat Panda driver is not alone when it comes to tourists causing trouble for themselves by taking a wrong turn at a famous Italian landmark.
Last May, a Saudi man was caught trying to leave Italy after he drove a rented Maserati sports car on the Spanish Steps in Rome and fled the scene after the vehicle got stuck halfway down the road. He was accused of serious damage to cultural heritage and monuments.
Main image: Florence’s Ponte Vecchio Bridge (Marta Carenzi/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images)
