History and info about ''Piazza di Spagna''

HISTORY
 
 The Spanish Steps (Italian: Scalinata di Piazza di Spagna) is a set of stairs in Rome , ramping a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, with the church under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, Trinità dei Monti, above.
 
 Spanish Steps
 
 The Spanish Steps were designed by Francesco De Santis after generations of heated discussion over how the steep slope to the church on a shoulder of the Pincio should be urbanized. The solution is a gigantic inflation of some conventions of terraced garden stairs.During Christmas time a 19th-century crib is assembled in the first landing of the staircase. During May, half of the monument is covered by pots of azaleas. In modern times the Spanish Steps have included a small cut-flower market, a favorite place for eating lunch (now officially frowned upon and rewarded with fines.The Spanish Steps have been restored several times, most recently in 1995.
 
 Piazza di Spagna
 
 In the Piazza at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called the Barcaccia ("The Ugly Boat"), often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who is sometimes said to have collaborated on the decoration. According to an unlikely legend, Pope Urban VII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber river.Also in the piazza, at the corner on the right as one begins to climb the steps, is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821; it is now a museum dedicated to his memory, full of memorabilia of the English Romantic generation. On the same right side stands the 15th century former cardinal Cybo’s palace, now Ferrari di Valbona, a building altered in 1936 to designs by Mercello Piacentini, the main city planner during Fascism, with modern terraces perfectly in harmony with the surrounding baroque context.At the top the Viale ramps up the Pincio which is the Pincian Hill, omitted, like the Janiculum, from the classic Seven hills of Rome.

From the top of the steps the Villa Medici can also be easily reached.
 
  
 
 ALL AROUND :
 
  
 
 VIA CONDOTTI
 
 Via Condotti, the fashionable, elegant street facing the Spanish Steps, is a shopper’s paradise. It is also a wonderful vantage point for viewing the Steps and Church of Trinita' dei Monti. As you approach the Steps walking along Via Condotti, you can't help being attracted by the awesome and imaginative shapes of the Steps and of the Church, which resembles a spaceship about to take off. The atmosphere is quintessentially Roman: teens chatting on their "telefonini" (mobile phones), tourists visiting the shops, business people on their way to meetings and chic Roman women catching up with their errands.
 
 You will find here the famed Caffè Greco, founded in 1760, whose past customers include Casanova, Keats, Goethe, Gogol, Werner, Stendhal, Liszt, Byron, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Buffalo Bill and the mad King Ludwig of Bavaria. The Caffè’s interior is elegantly furnished with antiques, paintings and original dedicated documents of its famous customers.
 
 To the left of the Steps, the classic Babington’s Tea Room, founded in 1896, offers an elegant interior, a wide selection of teas and pastries, and waiters in traditional English attire.
 
 For lovers of fashion, Via Condotti is no disappointment! Valentino, Bulgari, Gianni Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Fendi and Jean-Paul Gauthier are just a few of the designer boutiques to be found here.
 
 CHURCH OF TRINITA' DEI MONTI
 
 At the end of the steps you find the scenic Franciscan Church of Trinità dei Monti, by architects Carlo Maderno and Domenico Fontana, with in front the Sallustian Obelisk, taken from the ancient Sallustian Gardens.

 
 John Keats and Percy B. Shelley lived in the palazzo to the right of the Steps, and their home is presently a memorial museum.
 
 THE TREVI FOUNTAIN (Fontana di Trevi), Italy’s most famous fountain, is situated nearby, on the back of Palazzo Poli, facing a little square. The fountain became a household name after Fellini’s movie “La Dolce Vita,” where Anita Ekberg was shown frolicking in the water. A masterpiece of architecture and sculpture, the Trevi Fountain dates back to ancient Rome. Rebuilt many times throughout the millennia, it was completed by Nicola Salvi between 1732 and 1751. The Fountain is a symbolic and fanciful celebration of the Mediterranean civilization. The rushing waters come from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct, which was commissioned by Agrippa—a general of Augustus—in 19 BC. The aqueduct transports the water from the Salone springs, 19 miles away from the city. It is named after the young girl (vergine) who supposedly took Agrippa’s thirsty soldiers to its source. The name Trevi (from “trivium”) literally means three ways: the fountain was constructed at the intersection of three streets.Legend has it that throwing a coin into the Trevi fountain will ensure your return to Rome. (It is important that you do so by turning away from the fountain and tossing the coin over your shoulder.)
 
 VIA DEL BABUINO
 
 Via del Babuino (Baboon Street) leads from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza del Popolo square, and to the Borghese Gardens. It takes its name from an ancient Roman statue adorning a 16th century fountain that witty Romans found so ugly that they likened it to a baboon. Two other famous streets (Via del Corso e Via di Ripetta) lead to Piazza del Popolo. These three streets form the Tridente and, together with those intersecting them (Via della Croce, Via Margutta etc.), comprise a neighbourhood of art houses, antique shops, craftsmen and artists. Poussin and Wagner lived here. On Via dei Greci you will find Santa Cecilia, Rome’s most famous conservatory of music, and the Lion Bookshop, the oldest English bookshop in Rome.
 
 PIAZZA DEL POPOLO
 
 The immense and elegant Piazza del Popolo contains the Northern gate of ancient Rome (known as the Porta del Popolo). In the centre of the Piazza, is a 3000 year-old Egyptian obelisk taken from the Circus Maximus, surrounded by four lions. The square was designed by the Franco-Italian architect, Guiseppe Valadier—architect to Napoleon— in the early 19th century. There are three churches in the Piazza, the most important of which is Santa Maria al Popolo, which contains paintings by Caravaggio and other important artists. The twin Baroque churches, Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesano are also worth a visit. You will also find in the Piazza, two fashionable cafés, Rosati and Canova. Rosati is a meeting point for Rome’s literati, artists and theatre-folk. The stylish Canova was a favourite of Fellini. Just above the Piazza is the Pincio Garden, one of the oldest parts of the renowned Borghese Gardens. From here, you have the best views of Rome at sunset. The garden is separated from the gardens of the Villa Borghese by ancient walls, and consists of a number of formal, tree-lined avenues.
 
 PALACE FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE HOLY FAITH
 
 In this quarter you will also find the Spanish Embassy (after which the Steps and Piazza are named). You will also find Francesco Borromini’s Palace for the Defense of the Holy Faith (Palazzo di Propaganda Fide) and, perhaps surprisingly, a MacDonald’s. This fast food emporium is quite unlike any other! Its elegant interior has replica frescoes, and is preceded by a Roman mosaic at the entrance. It is worth noting that MacDonald’s houses the only washrooms in the area. On Via della Mercede you will find the home of Borromini’s great rival, Gianlorenzo Bernini. Adjacent to Bernini’s home is the charming church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.
 
 MAUSOLEUM OF AUGUSTUS
 
 Finally, just after Via del Corso, on the way to the Tiber, you will find the Mausoleum of Augustus, a huge, circular grave of the emperors Augustus and Tiberius. Nearby, encased in glass, is the magnificent Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, one of the most artistically distinguished monuments of ancient Rome. It was erected in 9 BC to celebrate the wealth and security brought by Augustus’ victories in Spain and Gaul. It was rebuilt from ancient fragments amassed during a time-consuming and difficult excavation.
 
 HOW TO REACH US
 
  
 
 In this case the address is the only information You need : Spanish Steps Square nr.32 top floor !  
 
 Watching the stairway it is the second gate on your right hand side.It is absolutely well connected by public transports.
 
  
 
 From Fiumicino airport there is a shuttle train leaving every 30 minutes which takes 20 min. to reach Termini train station.
 
  
 
 From Ciampino airports there is a Terravision bus goes straight ( without any stops ) to Termini train station.
 
  
 
 From termini Train station Take underground line A Battistini direction and get out at the Spanish Steps Stop ( Piazza di Spagna ) or just take one of the 15th busses riding all day long.
 
 How To Reach Us
 
  
 
 By Air:  the nearest airport is Leonardo da Vinci international airport (Fiumicino), 37 km from the THE SPANISH STEPS. To reach the apartment you can take the shuttle train to the main railway station, Termini, or take a taxi, leaving directly from the exit of the airport. It will take approximately 45/50 minutes to reach Piazza di Spagna 32 where the apartment is located.
 
  
 
 By Train:  the main railway station and the nearest is Termini, only 1.2 km from the hotel. From the station take the underground, red line (A), direction Battistini and get off at the 3rd stop, called Piazza di Spagna. The apartment is approximately 200 meters from the exit
 
 By Car:  coming from the North or the South, follow the directions to ROMA. When you reach Rome, follow the directions to the T90 G.R.A. ROMA and to ROMA CENTRO. The apartment is located in Piazza di Spagna 32
 
 Cheap top quality private car transfer on request from/for Airports