The racing red Ferrari is an Italian icon, but it doesn't give tourists carte blanche. Photo / Stuart Bartlett, Unsplash
The racing red Ferrari is an Italian icon, but it doesn't give tourists carte blanche. Photo / Stuart Bartlett, Unsplash
A ‘racing red’ Ferrari and Michelangelo’s statue of David are cultural icons that normally fill Italians with pride.
On Monday they were both cause for concern after an American tourist was seen careening into Forcence’s Piazza della Signoria, behind the wheel of a red Italian sports car.
A US tourist was handed a €470 ($820) fine for driving a Ferrari Spider through the pedestrianised courtyard in front of the Uffizi Gallery, among other traffic offences.
Witnesses described seeing the car driving through the famous square before speeding off down the Via dei Gondi in a “nonsensical” fashion.
The popular tourist spot is home to some of Italy’s best loved artworks and is closed to motor traffic, even Ferraris.
The offending, red Ferrari Spider was found parked in Florence after driving through the Piazza della Signoria. Photo / Polizia Municipale di Firenze
The “zona a traffico limitato” is a pedestrianised area, often full of bystanders admiring the cast of Michelangelo’s David, Peresus with the head of Medusa and other statues.
Police from the Municipality of Florence said they later apprehended the driver after the vehicle was found parked up in the city. The convertible Ferrari Spider had licence plates registered in Switzerland.
CNN reported the US national was fined for driving violations and for not having the proper licence for driving in Italy.
“Checks revealed that the 43-year-old driver had an American driving license that did not comply with international conventions and did not have an international driving permit or official translation,” said a police statement.
“A report was taken for parking in the pedestrian area, driving against the direction and having non-compliant foreign licence, the fine was a total of 470 euros, which he paid directly to the agents.”
Spanish steps: The Saudi tourist claimed he took a wrong turn in his Maserati. Photo / Corpo di Polizia Locale di Roma Capitale
Italian Jobsworths
Sadly foreign motorists causing chaos in Italian heritage sites is not an unusual occurrence.
In January another American tourist from California was caught driving a rental Fiat Panda across a pedestrian bridge across the river Arno, in Florence. The motorist was fined €500 ($872) for driving across the roofed 14th century Ponte Vecchio.
