View Article: Spanish Steps

	Spanish Steps
	written by Anabelle Sutcliffe / 07.12.2004

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Site Location

The Spanish Steps or the Piazza di Spagna are located at the site of the Spanish Embassy in Rome, Italy. The steps arise from Bernini's fountain, situated below ground level, to the Trinita'Dei Monti.

Site History

Design of the steps was finished by Francesco de Sanctis (1723-1726) despite generations of controversy about the construction of the steps. The staircase is made of twelve flights of steps of varying width moving upwards towards the Piazza Trinit dei Monti. The Spanish Stairs were built to unite Via del Babuino with Via Felice, the first great street planned by Sixtus V (1585). Their junction is crossed at an approximately right angle by Via Condotti, which shows the direction toward St. Peter's and the Vatican.

Elements of Interest

The church at the top of the Steps is the Trinita dei Monti, founded by the French in 1495. The steps are also called Scalla di Spagna. At the bottom of the steps, which are covered with red azaleas in early summer, is the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square), and Pietro Bernini’s Fontana della Barcaccia (Barcaccia Fountain). The steps have served as a meeting point for generations of travellers, from the English Grand Tourists of the 18th century, to the young people of all nationalities who flock here today, but one of the most famous residents was the English Romantic poet, John Keats. He spent the last few months of his life in the Casina Rossa, or Little Red House, cared for by his artist friend Joseph Severn, before he tragically died of tuberculosis in 1821.

Analyze Image

Spanish Steps

front view in summer with tourists

another view of the steps

The Steps

another veiw of the steps

The first image shows the Spanish Steps from the base. Azaleas and tourists add color to the gray steps in the spring and summer months.

The second image shows the french church at the top of the steps, called the Trinita dei Monti.

Site Questions

Do the steps include any elaborate carvings in the stone or sculptures at the base or top of the steps?

How does the Italian government keep the steps preserved or is this an issue?

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