Incident comes as Rome prepares for Jubilee 2025.

Rome police carried an American tourist with disabilities from Largo Gaetano Agnesi down the steps to the Colosseum as the escalator at the subway station was broken.

When the 21-year-old tourist, who suffers from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), arrived at the square overlooking the Colosseum on Wednesday morning, she found that there was no way for her to reach the Roman landmark.

The escalators at the Colosseo Metro B station have been out of order for months, according to Italian media reports, and there are no elevators.

In addition the nearby steps leading down to the Colosseum have been cordoned off for months, for safety reasons, becoming an eye-sore as well as an inconvenience to tourists.

In the end, two officers from the city's police force came to the woman's aid, one carrying her in his arms down the steps inside the subway station, the other carrying her walker, until she reached her destination.

The woman later returned, in tears, to thank the policemen for their kindness, and they helped her once again to reach the platform in the direction of the central Termini station.

The incident has led to much debate on social media, with the officers praised for their actions but the situation at the Colosseo metro station slammed as "shameful".