Spanish Steps and the Trident

The Piazza di Spagna takes its name from the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See since the seventeenth century. Dominating the lower end of the square is the Barcaccia fountain, shaped like a sinking ship.…

Twin bell towers topped with small octagonal spires define the silhouette of Trinità dei Monti above the Spanish Steps. King Charles the Eighth of France commissioned this church in the late fifteenth century, intending it to serve the…

The Villa Medici sits atop the Pincian Hill, distinguished by two square towers that overlook its vast, geometric gardens. Built by Cardinal Ferdinando de Medici in the late sixteenth century, the site became a repository for ancient Roman…

The Terrazza del Pincio features a wide, gravel-covered expanse held up by a stone retaining wall, offering a clear view across the rooftops of Rome toward Saint Peter's Basilica. Giuseppe Valadier designed this terrace in the early…

The twin churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli anchor the southern end of the Piazza del Popolo, framing the entrance to the city center. This oval space served as the primary gateway for travelers arriving in…

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo features a plain, restrained facade that conceals an interior crowded with works by Caravaggio, Bernini, and Raphael. A legend from the eleventh century claims the site was haunted by the ghost of…

The Fontana del Babuino features a weathered, reclining figure of a silenus carved from dark stone, sprawled atop a rough granite basin. Locals nicknamed the fountain for the statue’s resemblance to a monkey, or babuino, because the…