Florence police ticketed a 34-year-old California man for driving across the Ponte Vecchio pedestrian bridge without a proper license.
Photo by Ahmed Mansour via Unsplash
Italy’s Ponte Vecchio bridge has withstood centuries of heavy use, a destructive army retreating in World War II, and tourists.
The medieval bridge was built in 1345 and spans the Arno River in Florence, according to Britannica. The pedestrian bridge has a lower level with shops and an upper level with walkways connecting art galleries and palaces on both sides of the river.
A 34-year-old man from California was visiting Florence on the afternoon of Thursday, January 26, according to a press release from the city of Florence.
The tourist was driving a rental car and looking for a parking space when he crossed the Ponte Vecchio bridge, it said in the statement.
Police stopped the man and realized he was driving without a proper international driving permit, according to the statement. Police fined him around $540 for driving without a permit and driving in a pedestrian zone.
Florence is about 175 miles northwest of Rome.
Google Translate was used to translate the press release from the City of Florence.
Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Minerva University where she studied communications, history, and international politics. Previously, she reported for the Deseret News.
Source: news.google.com