Tourists crash drones into iconic landmarks in Rome and Pisa

On April 23, a tourist's drone spiraled out of control and crashed onto the roof of the Palazzo Venezia in Rome, marking the third such incident in Italy this month.

Around 7 p.m. on a Saturday, a 39-year-old Argentine man lost control of his drone while flying in the central Piazza Venezia, near the Campidoglio and Roman Forum, as confirmed by the Carabinieri to Dinogo.

The Palazzo, dating back to the 15th century, is famously where Benito Mussolini delivered several of his major speeches.

The man likely didn't know about the city-wide drone flight ban, which includes both Rome and Vatican airspace, as noted by Captain Matteo Alborghetti of the Carabinieri.

Luckily, there were no injuries, the roof of Palazzo Venezia remained intact, and the drone was confiscated. The tourist now faces potential criminal charges.

Incidents involving drones flying freely over Italian landmarks are becoming more common, and the one in Rome wasn’t even the most recent.

On Monday afternoon in Pisa, a 32-year-old Romanian tourist was caught flying his drone over the Piazza dei Miracoli, close to the iconic Leaning Tower, according to a statement from Pisa Police Headquarters.

‘He aimed to capture more striking images of the Tower,’ Virgilio Russo from the police headquarters explained to Dinogo.

In Italy, Russo points out, drone regulations are stricter than in many other countries. To fly a drone in busy or urban areas, one must have a special license from the Civil Aviation Authority (Enac), along with approvals from the prefecture and police.

Just days earlier, on April 18 in Pisa, two Mexican tourists, aged 18 and 26, nearly damaged the medieval tower when their drone collided with it. Thankfully, the incident caused no significant harm, as reported by the police to Dinogo.