Apr19
Published by Asya in Climbing, Cultural, Europe, History, Italy, Relaxing, Urban Tourism, Walking
The Piazza di Spagna in
Rome is one of the most famous images in the world, as well as being one of the most majestic urban monuments of Roman Baroque style. The elegant staircase consists of 137 steps over twelve different flights. In the Renaissance period, the square was the most popular tourist attraction in the city: it attracted artists and writers alike and was full of elegant hotels, inns and residences.
Built with a legacy from the France in 1725, but named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, the steps lead to the French church, Trinita dei Monti. In the 18th century the most beautiful women and men of Italy gathered here, waiting to be chosen as an artist’s model.
The staircase has been constructed using 138 steps. Designed in 1723 by
Francesco De Sanctis, and funded by a French diplomat Stefano Gueffierwas. The steps are a bewildering mix of curves, straight flights, vistas, and terraces, usually covered with huge pots of flowers and lounging sightseers.
The Spanish Steps are usually very crowded during the summer months, with tourists just sitting, chatting, and taking a rest from visiting the designer shops that litter the area.
In May each year the steps are decorated with pink azaleas.
Just 200 meters from Piazza di Spagna, here you are surrounded by the
Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Via Veneto. The sight of the square in spring should not be missed, when the ramps of the staircase are literally covered with flowers and the architecture is playfully lost beneath a magnificent array of color.
