Spanish Steps - Roma, Italy
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denben
N 41° 54.355 E 012° 28.942
33T E 291181 N 4642396
The Spanish Steps are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top.
Waymark Code: WM10W97
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 06/30/2019
Views: 8
The monumental stairway of 174 steps (according to some: 136-138) was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinità dei Monti church, both located above, to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi.
In the Piazza di Spagna at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the longboat"), built in 1627–29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who is recently said to have collaborated on the decoration. The elder Bernini had been the pope's architect for the Acqua Vergine, since 1623. According to a legend, Pope Urban VIII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber.
The first impression of the Spanish Steps of any given tourist is that it is crowded. The wide stairs in the shape of butterfly are a perfect spot to hang out, take pictures, enjoy street arts, and watch people. In the spring the stairs are covered by beautiful azaleas in pots and the architecture is playfully lost beneath a magnificent array of color.
The Spanish Steps were featured in many movies, with the most famous one being the 1953 film Roman Holiday which introduced the Spanish Steps to an American audience.
Music industry also has its share of including it in the lyrics of songs, such as Bob Dylon’s song ‘ When I Paint My Masterpiece.’
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