Spanish Steps

The steps were built between 1723 and 1725 to connect the Spanish embassy's square below to the French-owned church of Trinità dei Monti above, funded by a French diplomat's bequest, which makes the naming a small diplomatic joke. There are one hundred and thirty-five steps in a curving sequence of terraces. The Barcaccia fountain at the foot, by Pietro Bernini, is shaped like a half-sunken boat and sits low because the water pressure there was too weak for anything higher. Keats died in the house on the right of the steps in 1821 and it is now a museum. Since 2019 sitting on the steps has been prohibited and is fined.

History

Drawings of the 1580s show Pope Gregory XIII already interested in a stair up the 29-metre slope to the French church, and the French diplomat Étienne Gueffier, who died in 1660, left part of his fortune for it. The stairway of 135 steps was designed by the architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi (Wikipedia, Spanish Steps).

What you'll find

• The 135 steps - a curved baroque staircase in terraces.
• The Barcaccia - a sunken-boat fountain built low for weak water pressure.
• The Keats-Shelley House - the poet's death room, now a museum.
• The azaleas - pots banked on the steps for a few weeks each spring.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the azalea display runs for a few weeks in April. Early morning is the only time the steps are not packed.

Good to know

Sitting on the steps is prohibited and enforced with fines, which surprises many visitors. The square is crowded at all hours. The surrounding streets are luxury retail.

Nearby

The Trevi Fountain lies south; Piazza del Popolo is north.

Key facts