Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are a set of steps in Rome climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti.

Initially the piazza was divided into two parts, the French Square (because the French ambassador resided there - Trinità dei Monti was patroned by the French government) and the Spanish Square. The steps themselves, however, came to be called Spanish Steps after the Spanish Square (which was called Spanish because the Spanish embassy to the Holy See was - and is - located there). For a while, in the 17th century, the entire Piazza di Spagna was considered Spanish territory. Apparently foreigners unwittingly trespassing into the area could even find themselves all of a sudden to be soldiers in the Spanish army.

In the Piazza at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the Old Boat"), 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

Apartments in Spanish Steps on H&C