Spanish Steps

A 135-step Baroque staircase built between 1723 and 1725, connecting the Spanish Embassy at Piazza di Spagna with the French church of Trinità dei Monti above — a quiet diplomatic compromise rendered in travertine. The steps have been a magnet for artists, poets, and tourists for nearly three centuries; Keats died in the pink house at the foot of the staircase in 1821. Sitting on the steps is now prohibited and fined under a 2019 city ordinance, so admire from below — best at sunset or in spring when the azaleas bloom.