I was going the wrong way! I hadn't seen it.
con-tro-MA-no — stress on third syllable. an-DA-vo — imperfect, stress on second syllable.
Say this if you accidentally turn into a one-way street the wrong way and a local driver or policeman confronts you about it.
Contromano (against the flow of traffic / the wrong way) is the Italian term for going the wrong direction on a one-way street. Stavo andando (I was going) — imperfect progressive. Non l'avevo visto (I hadn't seen it) — past perfect of vedere.
Scusi, è una strada a senso unico?
Excuse me, is this a one-way street?
Senso unico (one way) — ask before turning rather than after
Posso fare inversione di marcia qui?
Can I do a U-turn here?
Inversione di marcia (U-turn) — important to ask in narrow city streets
Dove posso girare?
Where can I turn?
Simple and practical — where can I turn around?
Italian historic city centres are a maze of one-way streets, many unmarked on GPS — driving in Florence, Naples, or Lecce requires constant attention to blue senso unico signs. Following a local driver's hand gestures can be as reliable as the GPS.