Spanish Steps
Sweeping Rococo stairway of one hundred thirty-five steps, rising to a twin-towered French church.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Spanish Steps in Rome follows the final months of the English poet John Keats, who arrived in the winter of 1820 hoping Rome's air might ease his tuberculosis and settled with his friend Joseph Severn into rooms at the foot of the staircase. You'll hear about the Barcaccia fountain below his window and the strict Roman health law that followed after he died. Stand near the fountain at the base of the stairs to be closest to where he stayed.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Trinità dei Monti
French church crowning the Spanish Steps, built by royal command to celebrate a conquest of Naples.
Non-Catholic Cemetery
Ancient walled cemetery holding the graves of Keats and Shelley, beside an Egyptian-style pyramid.
Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa
Twenty-eight marble steps revered as those Jesus climbed to face Pilate, ascended only on the knees.
St. Angelo Bridge
Five-arched Roman bridge lined with ten Baroque angels, once the city's prime execution site.
Church of Saint Louis of the French
French national church sheltering three Caravaggio masterpieces in a single dimly lit chapel.
Piazza Trilussa
Trastevere piazza honoring a satirical dialect poet, with a relocated papal fountain.