Cabbie returns €14k to Russian tourist

A Roman taxi driver received a medal for honesty from the city's mayor Ignazio Marino on 9 March, after returning a bag containing €14,000 in cash to a custode, a large amount to have these days when getting €1,000 in cash from a bank has to be justified according to present regulations in force.

The handbag had been left in the taxi by a Russian tourist who was assisted in her search by police in the Prati district of Rome.

The tourist had no idea of the taxi number but told police that she travelled from Piazza Risorgimento, near the Vatican, to Piazza del Popolo in the centre.

The police tracked down the taxi driver, Renzo Ubaldi, who had already reported the missing handbag and who returned it subsequently to its relieved owner.

Presenting him with a medal at the Campidoglio two days later, Marino described Ubaldi's actions as "sending a message of honesty to the city.” Photo Il Messaggero