The Spanish Steps in Rome and its famous stairs
There are so many beautiful squares in Rome that it is very difficult to stay with one but many consider that the most interesting of all is the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna in Italian).
The staircase is one of the liveliest and busiest places in Rome and one of the images of the city.
Its situation is extraordinary and in it is the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See, a reason that gives its name to the square. By the way, it is the oldest embassy in the world.
What to see in the Spanish Steps in Rome
Without a doubt, the Spanish steps are the most famous in Rome.
Whether you raise it or lower it, it will be something magical, which is why it is an activity that we totally recommend.
From the top you will also have great views of the surroundings and when you go down you will feel like one of the models that annually participate in one of the most famous fashion shows in the world.
The Plaza de España staircase was built in the 18th century to link the square with the Iglesia de Trinitá dei Monti, the famous church that stands at the top.
This church does not have a very interesting interior but if you want to enter nothing prevents you. It was built in the fifteenth century by the King of France.
At the bottom, at the foot of the stairs, we have the other point of interest to see in the Plaza de España. It is the Fontana della Barcaccia, another of the magnificent fountains of Rome.
It was commissioned by Pope Urban III to Bernini, but not to the famous man but to his father.
However, it was the son, the most famous of the Bernini who finished it. It is shaped like a boat and contains suns and bees, emblems of the papal family.
The surroundings of the Piazza di Spagna in Rome
Nearby is Piazza Barberini, notable for its two fountains. The main one is the Fontana del Tritone.
The Fontana del Tritone is another of Bernini ‘s masterpieces and in this case it represents four dolphins supporting the god Triton holding a conch shell from which water flows.
The other fountain, on one side, a little hidden, is the Fontana delle Api, also by Bernini and which represents the emblem of the Barberini bees.
Via Condotti starts from Piazza di Spagna. It is the main luxury shopping street in Rome.
It joins the Plaza de España with the Vía del Corso and in it we will find some shops as luxurious as they are prohibitive. Better window shop unless you want to spend a fortune. Other commercial streets that start from the square are Via del Babuino and Via Fratina.
Santa Maria della Vittoria is a small Baroque church nearby that would go unnoticed among the many Roman churches if it weren’t for the fact that within it we find Bernini’s masterpiece, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.
