An American tourist has been slapped with a hefty fine after causing $26,000 (£20,000) worth of damage to Rome's historic Spanish Steps, after launching an e-scooter down them.
The incident occurred at around 3.45am Friday, and was filmed by a member of the public.
The footage has since gone viral, sparking anger and frustration among many Italians.
The 18th century steps have recently undergone a $1.5million (£1.2million) restoration, funded by jeweller Bulgari.
The moment the US tourist released the e-scooter down the historic marble steps
Police
The Spanish Steps underwent extensive restoration between 2015 and 2016 amounting to more than $1.5 million
PA Features Archive/Press Association Images
The video showcases the unidentified woman, who Italian authorities said was a 28-year-old tourist from the US, hurling the rented e-scooter down the steps in a fit of apparent rage.
Police later found the 28-year-old and her American male companion, who is also captured wheeling his own electric scooter down the marble stairs.
Reports suggest the pair were fined $430 (£343) by police who, upon further inspection of the video, decided the women purposeful launched the rental scooter down the steps.
The Spanish Steps are one of the most highly valued tourist spots in the Italian capital.
Police prevented visitors from sitting on them in 2018.
Italian police confirmed the damage inflicted upon the infamous marble stairway, amounts to at least $26,000 (£20,000).
The scooter damaged the 16th and 29th steps, cracking both, while chipping other sections of the marble steps.
Media outlets across Italy have reported that one of the scooters broke a four-inch portion off of one of the steps.
The pair have since been banned from frequenting the tourist monument, in a move to crackdown on poorly behaved tourists.
The footage captured by security cameras and later released by police, enabled authorities to track down the couple, who were later released to return to their hotel.
Reckless tourists have been rife across Rome in recent weeks.
A Saudi businessman drove a Maserati down the Spanish Steps after "taking a wrong turn".
The man was forced to call a tow truck before a passerby helped him get the car back on the road.
He was later tracked down by Italian authorities, to the nearby Milan airport, where he was arrested.
Between 2015 and 2016, the stairway underwent a restoration, with calls for officials to enforce stricter restrictions on tourists visiting the site, such as prohibiting the consumption of food and drink near the iconic, curved stairwell.
