Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps

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In italian : Piazza di Spagna

The Piazza di Spagna is one of the most beautiful square in Rome and the most original with its unusual shape. Its large monumental baroque staircases of Spanish Steps climb from the Fountain of Barcaccia to the church Trinità dei Monti and the obelisk that precedes it.

Presentation

A work of the 18th century, this square has an unusual and irregular appearance. It is located at the foot of the Pincian hill. The Spanish Steps, the monumental staircase, leads to the French church of the Trinità dei Monti, remarkable for its two symmetrical campaniles, in front of which is an Egyptian obelisk.
The streets of the district are among the most chic in Rome, like the Via Condotti with its luxurious shops like Prada or Gucci.

Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps

At the foot of the stairs is the Barcaccia Fountain (fountain of the boat in English), made in 1629 century by Pietro Bernini and his most famous son called Bernini. It was made in memory of the disastrous flood of the Tiber of 1598 which forced the inhabitants to move by boat.
The Spanish Steps is a late Baroque staircase which has 136 steps. It was designed by Francesco De Sanctis on the initiative of a French cardinal, and inaugurated on the occasion of the Jubilee of 1725. It is marble, on three levels, with terraces that are beautifully flowered from spring. Getting closer, we discover various perspectives of the monument.

To the right of the staircase, the former home of the English poet John Keats, the Casina Rossa, has become a museum. On the left is Rome’s oldest tea house, the Babington, founded in 1893.
Towards Via Frattina the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide (Palace of the Propagation of the Faith in English) is a property of the Holy See, built from 1644. The main façade was designed by Bernini, while the side façade was designed by Borromini.
Opposite is the Column of the Immaculate Conception, inaugurated on December 8, 1857. Since 1923, on the occasion of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, the Roman firefighters have placed a wreath of flowers on the head of the statue of Mary. The Pope is present on this occasion, which has become one of the most popular religious festivals in Rome.

At the top of the Spanish Steps is the church of Trinità dei Monti, a 16th century French church. There, we enjoy a beautiful view over the city, next to the obelisk issued from the Gardens of Sallust which was placed here in 1789.
Not far from the church is the charming gardens of the Villa Medici, today the seat of the French Academy in Rome, built in 1570 by Ammannati.