26 March 2021 | Staff | Euronews (original link)

A misspelled road marking has provided light relief for Italian residents near Rome during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A sign on Via Regina Margherita in the coastal town of Sabaudia was mistakenly painted “Sotp” instead of “Stop” in bold letters.

Images of the error were shared on Facebook by the town’s mayor, Giada Gervasi, who stated that that company had apologised.

“Once again, no time is wasted in insulting those who have made a mistake in the course of their work.”about:blank

“I express my solidarity with the worker and the company responsible for the resurfacing of road markings,” Gervasi said on Tuesday.

The mayor added that the error has “fortunately made many people smile”, with some comments on Facebook suggesting that the marking should be left as a tourist attraction.

In another post on Facebook later the same day, Gervasi confirmed that the marking had been fixed.

“Sotp will return to Stop … it’s a small mistake that may have made people smile!”

Gervasi backed up her message of solidarity with the worker by citing a famous quote by former US President Theodore Roosevelt, who stated that “the only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything”.