Unearth The Secrets Of Rome's Iconic Spanish Steps – Without Sitting!

Hi, I'm Elyssa from Romewise, your go-to guide to Rome. Come visit the website to find many tips and advice for your trip to Rome. In today's video we will talk about the Plaza de España, where I am standing. How did they get their name, who built them and why? How many

steps

are there and why can't you sit here anymore. Ready? Here we go! The church at the top of the Spanish Steps, look behind me, is called Trinita dei Monti, which means Trinity of the Mount. When it was built in the 16th century, it stood alone.

And this was just a dirt slope. There was really nothing connecting that church at the top of this hill, which is called Pynchon Hill, with the Piazza below, which is called Piazza Espana, Spanish Steps. Which receives its name from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. That church was and remains French. At that time, the French king asked that there be some kind of connection between that church and the square below. And he had resolved it with the Pope. The jurisdiction was a little confusing, so these kinds of disputes and arguments about who was going to build it and how, and what it would look like, went on for over a hundred years.

So when it was finally built in the early 1700s, it was no longer the same king and pope who had anything to do with it. So the stairs were eventually built by a rather little-known architect at the time named Francesco de Sanctis. It was made in 1725 and has 135

steps

. This is the widest monumental staircase in Europe. So what is this boat at the foot of the Spanish Steps? It's called Barcaccia, which means ugly boat. I don't think it's that ugly. I think she is beautiful. It is from the 17th century, made by Pietro Bernini, the father of John Lorenzo Bernini.

Possibly with the help of the young Don Lorenzo Bernini himself. We are now in Piazza Mignanelli, which is the Piazza right next to the Spanish Steps. It is actually part of the same Piazza, but in a way it extends out forming its own trapezoid. And right behind me is the statue of Mary. Up there. Every year on December 8, which is the Immaculate Conception, the Pope comes here and changes the crown on top. Actually, he doesn't go up there, that's what the firefighters do. But he is here and it is something very important. It is also difficult to get close.

And behind me you can also see the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. It has been here since 1647. Hence the name Plaza de España or Plaza de España. Because the name of the Plaza de España is actually the steps of the Plaza de España, and it is called Plaza de España after that Embassy. It's a beautiful staircase, I think it's a beautiful staircase to climb and I actually think it's really special now that there's no one

sitting

on it. I realize this is frustrating for people who want to sit on the steps, but it makes it much more navigable.

And you can see them in all their splendor. In fact, I see a lot of dirt on the steps from when people ate here and spilled ice cream. So, the first thing they did was prohibit people from eating in the Plaza de España. And here you can see people walking on the stairs, taking pictures on the stairs and those guys in yellow jackets are the police. Here to enforce the no

sitting

rule. So that no one sits on the steps. What do you think? Why can't you sit in the Plaza de España anymore? Well, maybe it's because Bulgari paid a lot of money to renovate the Spanish Steps.

Maybe it's because they are trying to enforce some of the rules to maintain decorum in the city, they have been clamping down on tourists who jump into the fountains, there was a 450 euro fine for jumping into the fountains and they have been fining to the people. . And there will be a fine of 450 euros for sitting on these steps. Right now they're just blowing that whistle and telling people no. And I realized that this is something that people dream of: they want to come to Rome and sit on the Spanish steps with an ice cream and watch the world go by.

You just can't do it anymore. Let's talk about whether this is a popular measure or not? Many people complain about this rule. I think it's because they see this as something special, something useful for tourists, and not just Roman tourists alike. But I am here to tell you that there are many Romans who approve of this, who are grateful and happy that the city is clamping down on what they consider to be a lack of decorum, and many of the sites in Rome are disrespectful to the monuments and the antiquity. So, I think they're going to keep this rule in place, at least for a while.

Now, if you are wondering where you can go and sit around the Spanish Steps. The answer is that we don't have many banks in the city, but we do have parks. We have many parks and many green spaces if you look for them. Right above us is Borghese Park. It's beautiful and full of places to sit, walk, have ice cream and enjoy the atmosphere. You can go to a coffee shop. Then you have to pay. I know, I understand. This was a free place to sit, it was absolutely beautiful. But I'm sorry, you can't do it anymore.

So what can you do near the Spanish Steps now that you can't come and sit here? Well, this is the shopping area, so you can definitely come here and shop. Not far from here is Rinascente, these beautiful

iconic

department stores where you can shop until you drop. You can go to the basement and see some of the ruins from the time of Augustus. You can go to the top, to the food court, eat pizza, drinks and sit there. You can also walk through all these beautiful streets and do some shopping. You shop on the street, you shop in boutiques, so there's definitely a lot of shopping to do.

We also have the Keats-Shelley Memorial House, which I think is really special. It is a small museum, but it is worth visiting. We have Piazza del Popolo, which is right at the end of the street here at the end. And Piazza del Popolo has an amazing church Santa Maria del popolo. There is also a museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. These are all wonderful things you can do near the Plaza de España. That obelisk you see above is a Roman copy of an Egyptian original. The Egyptian original is located in Piazza del Popolo. It was brought here by Emperor Augustus as a war trophy when he defeated Antony and Cleopatra, defeating Egypt.

This is a Roman copy. Basically, a Roman patrician who had money decided that he wanted an obelisk like Augustus's, so he made one. At the top of the Spanish Steps, if you get there in time for sunset, it's beautiful. Coming in the morning with the sun behind you, you'll have that beautiful glow on the buildings. Let's take a look at what we can see from here. If you come in spring, April or May, you will see the steps covered in azaleas. It's really special, it's so beautiful. I made a video about it, you can watch it.

And if you come the rest of the year you won't see flowers here, but at Christmas you probably will. Maybe I decorate maybe some decorations every year that changes. Sometimes there are trees here and sometimes there aren't. One year it snowed and there was a snowman. It was someone who built the snowman. Well, thanks for watching. I hope you enjoyed this video about the Spanish Steps in Rome. Hit the like button below if you like this video and subscribe. See you in the next video. Ciao for now.