Spanish Steps
Spanish Steps is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Rome audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Rome Rome guide
About Spanish Steps
135 elegant steps built in 1726 connecting the Piazza di Spagna to the Trinità dei Monti church, Rome's most fashionable meeting place and a Romantic-era pilgrimage.
The Spanish Steps, Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, form one of Rome's most picturesque gathering places. Built between 1723 and 1726, the 135 steps connect the Piazza di Spagna at the bottom with the French church of Trinità dei Monti at the top. Despite the Italian name, the steps were funded by a French diplomat, Étienne Gueffier, as a gift to Rome, and topped by a French church owned by France to this day.
The name comes from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, located on the piazza at the base. At the foot of the steps stands the Barcaccia fountain (1629), designed by Pietro Bernini (father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo). Its boat shape is a playful response to the low water pressure of the Aqua Virgo, the water barely dribbles rather than spouts.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the steps were the heart of Rome's artist and writer colony. Keats died in a house at the foot of the steps in 1821, now the Keats-Shelley House museum. Each spring the steps are blanketed in thousands of azalea flowers.
Did you know? The steps are called "Spanish" Steps because of the nearby Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, yet they were designed by an Italian architect and funded entirely by a French diplomat.
How long should you spend at Spanish Steps?
Plan about ~30 min at Spanish Steps. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Spanish Steps worth visiting?
Spanish Steps is one of the 47 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Rome, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Rome
Hear the story of Spanish Steps
Preview the Rome tour free in the Gingerguide app.