At 5 am on 22 February four youngsters crossed the Constitution bridge in Venice by car. The new pedestrian bridge designed by architect Santiago Calatrava  was opened to the public in 2008. Apparently the glass and marble structure was not  damaged by the car.

They continued for a short drive in the pedestrian zone and where later stopped and detained by the police. The four men appeared to be under the effect of alcohol.

The car model is a Vollkswagen Polo. The German carmaker stated they will not use the event for advertising purpose, although they are already getting a huge amount of press anyway. 

The Calatrava bridge is the fourth bridge on the Canal Grande, the others are Ponte degli Scalzi, Ponte dell'Accademia and Ponte di Rialto, the most famous.

The Constitution bridge has been widely praised for its elegance but its realization was also very controversial: it was completed overtime, more than three years delay, and overbudget with a cost of more than 11.3 million Euro compared to the initial estimate of 6.7 million Euro.