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Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square), the square home to the famous Spanish Steps, Trinità dei Monti church, an obelisk and a Baroque fountain, is one of the most popular meeting places in Rome, the square draws crowds of both visitors and locals alike, it is also a popular place for artists and photographers.
The piazza is an especially beautiful site in May of each year when the steps are decorated with pink azaleas.
The steps are a perfect place to rest, relax, people watch and watch the world go by, just don’t stop on the steps to enjoy a snack.
Technically, those visiting the steps are not allowed to eat while on the steps, and you can find police who patrol the area to make sure everyone adheres to the guidelines. This is all aimed at an attempt in keeping the area clean after a major restoration was performed on the steps in 1995.
The Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) connects the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican, located at the base of the steps, to the French church, Trinità dei Monti, located at the top of the steps.
The stairway, consisting of 138 steps, was designed by Francesco de Sanctis in the 1720’s. It is the widest staircase in Europe.
At the base of the steps, in Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square), sits the Fountain of the Old Boat (Fontana della Barcaccia).
It was built in 1627 by Pietro Bernini, father to the famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Legend has it, the fountain was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII after he had been impressed with a story of a boat being brought to the square by a flood from the Tiber River in 1598 and found in the exact spot.
At the top of the steps sits the French church, Trinità dei Monti, with a obelisk just in front. Construction on the church lasted from 1502-1585. The obelisk has been in its current location since 1788. From here, there is a beautiful view overlooking Rome. You can also normally find many artists and painters here.
In the Spanish square, at the base of the steps to the right, lies the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821. The house, which opened to the public in 1909, is now a small museum dedicated to the memory of Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. It contains a collection of paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and first editions, among many other things.
Next to Piazza di Spagna, from the southeast part of the square, is the Colonna dell’Immacolata (Column of the Immaculate Conception), it is a 40 foot column topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary. Each year on December 8th, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope leads a procession from the Vatican to the column where he pays homage to the Virgin Mary by laying a wreath of flowers at the base of the column. Fire fighters of Rome also visit and offer flowers to the Madonna.
