Rome - Travel Guide to Piazza di Spagna area

You can spend a whole day in the area around the Spanish Steps feeling like a glamorous film star. Start with a morning walk through Villa Borghese, where you can admire the gardens and a spetacular view of Rome. Make a grand entrance down the steps and into the Piazza del Popolo, stopping to enjoy the street artists or the political protests that often happen in the square.

After lunch at a trattoria down one of the narrow cobblestone lanes, get lost on your way to the Spanish steps, admiring the expensive luxury goods on display in the windows of Via Condotti’s boutiques such as Gucci and Tiffanys. Many people don’t actually walk up Rome’s most famous outdoor staircase; they simply sit on the steps in the sunshine and admire the passing parade. And why not? It is a great, though often crowded place, to rest and watch street sellers, lovers and tourists pass by.

The spectacle is most impressive in spring, when brilliant Azaleas in bright pink tones line the steps. The Spanish Steps are a renowned meeting point and no doubt if you’re a woman you’ll be serenaded by someone here. If the man of your dreams doesn’t, unfortunately, whisk you away, then stroll up the steps to Trinita’ dei Monti (best around sunset) where you’ll be rewarded for your exertion with another fabulous view of the Eternal City. From here walk towards Piazza Barberini and then the world of Vittorio Veneto, the famous strip of bars and dinner-by-candlelight restaurants that was immortalized in Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita'. Once the most glamorous place in the world, relax and sip a martini just like the stars.

10 Things to See
The Spanish Steps
Trinita’ dei Monti
Keats-Shelley Memorial House
Via Condotti (shopping)
Palazzo Barberini – the National Gallery of Ancient Art
Goethe Memorial House
Via VittorioVeneto
Fontana del Tritone – Piazza Barberini
Piazza del Popolo
Villa Borghese

Typical food
Roman Antipasti
You might need something to go with those drinks on Via Vittorio Veneto, so why not try some traditional Roman antipasti, or pre-dinner snacks. Internationally bruschetta (toasted bread topped with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil) might be renowned but for Romans it’s just a snack your mother makes in summer to use up stale bread and not something you order in a restaurant. Instead try bruschette with fresh sausage, broccoli, chilli or olive toppings. Salami, olives, boiled eggs and prosciutto all constitute antipasti but a simple basket of pickled vegetables is enough to satisfy a Roman.

Typical products
Handbags, shoes, clothing and sunglasses – you’ll find every Italian designer from Armani to Prada has a boutique on Via dei Condotti. Jewellers are also in abundance here with Bulgari and Tiffany offering tempting displays. Wander along the narrow lanes and you’ll be sure to find something special in one of the many antique shops or art galleries hidden amongst the trattorias and bars between Piazza del Popolo e Piazza di Spagna.

Spotlight on the Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps hardly need an introduction as they enjoy a great reputation as the place to go in Rome to meet the handsome young Italians who crowd there during the summer months. However the Piazza di Spagna offers more than just a majestic staircase. At the bottom of the steps is 'La Fontana della Barcaccia' designed by Bernini. As the Square’s name suggests you’ll find the Spanish Embassy here and for centuries the square formed part of the Grand Tour of wealthy European aristocrats. The British were so numerous here that the area was once dubbed The Ghetto of the English. British poet Keats died in an apartment overlooking the Square in 1821, which has now been turned into a memorial house dedicated not only to Keats but also to the other Romantic poets who wrote in Rome; Shelley, Byron and Hunt. The Keats-Shelley Memorial House contains a lock of Keats's hair, his death mask, original letters, and various other mementos.

How to get there
Piazza di Spagna is a square in the centre of Rome. Once in Rome it can be reached by car or public transport.
By Plane: Piazza di Spagna can be reached from either Leonardo Da Vinci Airport - Fiumicino or Ciampino Airport.
By Car: The area around Piazza di Spagna is pedestrian only and in the streets nearby parking is limited.
By Metro: Take the Metro line A direction Battistini to the stop Piazza di Spagna and as the stop’s name suggests after walking along a rather long underground tunnel you’ll exit right in square.
By Bus: The number 117 goes from the Colosseum and stops on Via del Corso, a short walk from Piazza di Spagna.
On Foot: If you’re feeling energetic you could walk to Piazza di Spagna from Termini Raliway Station, passing Piazza Repubblica, down Via Nazionale, turning right into Via del Corso from Piazza Venezia and then following the tourist information signs to the square. It take around one hour. You could also walk from the Colosseum, just follow Via dei Fori Imperiali, cross the Piazza Venezia and follow Via del Corso – it takes about 20 minutes.