Spanish Steps

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.