Piazza di Spagna

Piazza di Spagna is one of the most famous squares in Rome, place and center of tourism and nightlife. It owes its name to the presence of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. Its symbolic image is undoubtedly the enchanting staircase, a set for numerous films and fashion shows. On its sides are the house of the writer John Keats, now a museum and that of Percy Bisshe Shelley. The Spanish Steps of Trinità dei Monti were built in 1725 to a design by Specchi and De Sanctis and its function was to connect the embassy (then Bourbon) with the Church of Trinità dei Monti (ID 360). In the center of the square, and at the base of the stairway, stands the Fontana della Barcaccia (ID 23) created by Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Gian Lorenzo. The name 'barcaccia' refers to the boats that sailed on the Tiber in the nearby Port of Ripetta.