Ferrari In Historic Square That Is Crowded With Pedestrians, This Tourist Is Fined IDR 7 Million

Piazzamen Florence, Italy. (Wikimedia Commons/Zolli)

JAKARTA - The Italian police took firm action against a tourist, because of the violations he committed while driving his luxury sports car in one of Italy's famous tourist areas which was crowded with pedestrians.

It was experienced by a United States tourist who had to suffer the consequences, as he rode his Ferrari Spider at Piazza della totalia, a famous pedestrian square at the historic center of Florence City, Italy.

The tourist was arrested on Monday after he parked a Swiss-listed Ferrari Spider, after being seen driving a car along the Via dei Gondi road which is in a way described by local officials as "absurd".

The Square he passes through is usually filled with tourists, many are on his way to visit the Uffizi Gallery next to him, which is home to some of Italy's most famous works of art.

He was fined 470 euros (IDR 7,729,582) by police on the spot, after an inspection showed he did not have the appropriate documents to drive on the Italian highway, let alone in the piazza.

"The results of the examination show that the 43-year-old driver has an American driver's license that does not comply with international conventions and does not have an international driving license," the City of Florence said in a statement.

"The report was received because he parked in a pedestrian area, was driving in the opposite direction and had an inappropriate foreign driver's license. The fine was a total of 470 euros paid directly to the state," the statement continued.

It said that in recent months a number of foreign tourists have been involved in problems in historic Italian places.

In January, a California tourist was fined 500 euros (around Rp. 8,221,848) as he drove a chartered Fiat Panda across Ponte Vecchio, an ancient pedestrian bridge that stretches over the Arno River, Florence.

Earlier, a Saudi Arabian man was arrested while trying to leave Italy in May last year, after he drove his rented Maserati sports car down the Spanish Steps in Rome, then fled the scene after his vehicle broke down in the middle of the road. He was charged with destroying a cultural monument.