The Spanish Steps in Rome

What are the Spanish Steps?

If you find yourself standing on the Piazza Di Spagna, you will see a church called the “Trinità dei Monti church on top of a hill.

To reach the church, you will be required to climb a total of 135 steps. This stairway is referred to as “The Spanish Steps.”

The Spanish steps are a monumental stairway connecting the Piazza di Spagna with the Piazza Trinità dei Monti on top of a steep hill.

Why are they called the Spanish Steps?

According to the name, one would assume the Spanish had something to do with them, right?

Well, not directly.

The name simply refers to the Piazza di Spagna, located at the bottom of the Spanish steps.

What is the Piazza di Spagna?

The Piazza di Spagna is one of the most famous squares in all of Rome. It gets its name from the “Palazzo di Spagna,” which is located on the square.

The Palazzo di Spagna is a baroque-style palace, also simply referred to as “The Spanish palace,” that houses the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See (the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome) since the year 1647.

It doesn’t house the embassy of Spain in Italy though as this one is located on the first floor of the Borghese Palace of Rome.

Who built the Spanish Steps?

The church on top of the hill, the Trinità dei Monti Church, was completed in 1585. By then, a wooden staircase was built to reach it.

This can still be seen in a painting by the Dutch painter Caspar van Wittel from 1683, depicting a wooded slope.

It wasn’t until the year 1717 that Pope Clement XI decided to hold a design contest to create the structure.

Eventually, it was the little-known Italian architect Francesco de Sanctis who submitted the winning entry and built the Spanish Steps in collaboration with colleague Alessandro Specchi.

 The Spanish Steps became famous all around the world when they hit the big screen in the 1953 movie “Roman Holiday,” starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

 With love,

Ivana