The Spanish Steps: What They Are and What to Do With Them

The Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti — the Spanish Steps — are 135 travertine steps built between 1723 and 1725 to connect the Trinità dei Monti church at the top with the Piazza di Spagna below. The name comes from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, which has been on the piazza since the 17th century. French money built them, despite the Spanish name, which is typical Roman historical confusion.

They’re worth seeing. They’re also one of the most popular tourist spots in Rome, which means summer afternoons are unpleasant — crowds, heat, hawkers selling roses and selfie sticks. Go before 9am to have the steps to yourself, or in the evening around 7-8pm when the light hits the Trinità dei Monti facade and the crowds have thinned into a more manageable density.

Sitting on the steps used to be the default activity. Rome’s city council banned it in 2019 with fines of up to €400; enforcement is erratic but the fines are real. Stand and take your photograph, then move.

The Area

The piazza at the bottom has the Fontana della Barcaccia (1627), a sunken boat fountain by Pietro Bernini (Gian Lorenzo’s father). Water pressure from the ancient aqueduct feeding it was too low for a conventional fountain, so he designed one that barely rises above street level. It’s a clever solution and an underrated piece of baroque work.

The streets running west from Piazza di Spagna — Via Condotti especially — are Rome’s premium luxury shopping district. Gucci, Prada, Bulgari, Valentino. If that’s useful to you, it’s a good area for it. If not, the neighbourhood is still worth walking for the 18th-century architecture and scale.

Keats-Shelley House is on the right side of the steps at the bottom (Piazza di Spagna 26). John Keats died in the apartment here in 1821, aged 25. The museum holds manuscripts, letters, and personal effects of the Romantic poets who gathered in Rome. Entry around €9 and rarely busy. The apartment itself — small rooms with views of the steps — is worth more than most people give it.

Trinità dei Monti church at the top is free to enter. The 16th-century interior has two chapels painted by Daniele da Volterra, Michelangelo’s student. The fresco of the Descent from the Cross (1541) in the second chapel on the left is considered one of the finest mannerist paintings in Rome and is usually overlooked entirely because everyone is on the steps taking photographs.

Nearby Food

The immediate piazza area is an expensive place to eat. Two minutes’ walk east on Via della Croce you’ll find better trattorias at lower prices. Il Sorpasso on Via Properzio (10 minutes northwest, Prati neighbourhood) is excellent for lunch. For coffee near the steps: Antico Caffè Greco on Via Condotti (open since 1760) charges a premium for table service but is genuinely atmospheric.

Getting There

Metro A stops at Spagna, directly at the base of the steps. It’s also walkable from the Trevi Fountain (10 minutes east) and the Pantheon (20 minutes south through the historic centre).