A drunken man drove down Rome's famed Spanish Steps at dawn on Tuesday, thinking the world-famous monument was a city street.
The man, identified as a 24-year-old Colombian, apparently turned down onto the monumental stairway - the longest and widest in Europe - at a fair speed.
About half-way down his bumpy descent he realised his error, got out of the car and tried to push it back up with the help of disco-goers who gather there for early-morning refreshment.
The effort soon proved impossible because of the steep incline so the man's helpers decided to ease the car down to the bottom.
Meanwhile police had arrived on the scene.
They booked the man for drunk driving and called in conservation experts who started inspecting the 18th-century landmark for damage.
Tuesday's incident came less than a month after a group of drunken immigrants took a screwdriver to the famous Barcaccia (Old Boat) fountain at the foot of the steps.
