The Spanish Steps
One of the most popular gathering places for tourists in Rome is the 138 treads known as the Spanish Steps, which rise from one side of Piazza di Spagna. The steps are north of the Colosseum and Forum areas, just south of a metro line stop and Villa Borghese, the city's largest public park featuring fountains, statues, and museums.
Fact
The Spanish Steps were actually built with money donated by a French diplomat. The nearby piazza is named after the Spanish embassy, which used to be situated there, but the staircase itself leads to Trinit à dei Monti, which is a French church.
The Spanish Steps were built in the early 1700s and are widely recognized as one of the tallest, widest outdoor staircases in western Europe. The piazza is a bit older, dating from the early 1600s. On one corner is the home where English poet John Keats lived and died in the early 1800s. (It's now a museum that you can tour; go to
