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Spanish Steps Photos

The Spanish Steps in Rome

Trip Over to Rome

The Spanish Steps, or as they are known in Italian – Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti, are more than just Rome’s meeting point, they were built in 1725 to access the Trinità dei Monti Church that sits majestically perched at the top, as it has done since 1585, desperately in need of stairs to access it for nearly 150 years. Known as Rome’s ‘meeting point’, they often get so crowded with people sitting all over them that you would never find who you are meeting. If someone says, “Meet me at the Spanish Steps”, you will need specifics, the top, the bottom, the middle, the left, the right, the centre, near the fountain, outside the Keats-Shelley Memorial House, outside Babington’s Tea Rooms………

Recently the Bulgari Fashion House has put in the funds required to clean up and restore the Spanish Steps to their former glory, all the chips and cracks on the Travertine marble have been repaired, all the chewing gum, coffee and wine stains removed, and a good clean to get off centuries of grime. I am so proud of the fashion industry for funding the restoration of Italy’s monuments. Fendi – The Trevi Fountain, Tod’s – The Colosseum, Diesel – The Rialto Bridge in Venice, and now Bulgari – The Spanish Steps. Catch a glimpse of the fabulous opening show after the Spanish Steps restoration.

Fortunately, I have recently heard that Rome’s Police are starting to move people on if they sit all over the steps, and so they should. Even though the Spanish Steps are considered to be one of Rome’s monuments, they are a throroughfare for those wanting to get from top to bottom and vice versa to go about their business. Rome seems to attract the worst kind of tourist, people who think it is OK to sit all over monuments and statues eating and drinking, it isn’t. Unless there is a specific seat to sit on – don’t sit on it. Others want to access it, see it, admire it and take photos of it. You’ll have to get up early to get photos without so many people in them, but it is worth it.




The fountain in Piazza di Spagna, Fontana della Barcaccia, is found at the foot of the Spanish Steps, commissioned in 1623 to be built as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between 1627 and 1629 by Pietro Bernini possibly along with the help of his son Gian Lorenzo Bernini, as Pietro died on 29th August 1629.

The sculptural fountain is made into the shape of a half-sunken boat with water overflowing its sides into a small basin. The source of the water comes from an aqueduct from 19BC. Bernini built this fountain to be slightly below street level due to the low water pressure from the aqueduct. Fresh drinking water flows from seven points on the fountain. The ramp at the front of the fountain is there so you can walk out at get fresh drinking water from the spouts in the boat. Water is available like this from all over Rome.

According to legend, when the Tiber River flooded in 1598, water carried a small boat into the Piazza di Spagna. When the water receded, the boat was deposited in the centre of the square, and it was this event that inspired Bernini’s creation. The fountain is decorated with the Papal Coat of Arms of the Barberini family as a reminder of Pope Urban VIII’s ancestry.

On one side of the bottom of the steps is Babington’s Tea Rooms, on the other is the house where romantic poet John Keats lived and died. It is now a memorial museum to both John Keats and Percy Shelley. Keats came to live in Rome on the advice of his doctors as he was suffering from tuberculosis, it was thought maybe the warmer weather in Rome would help. But not so, he needed more than the weather to cure him and he died in 1821 at the age of only 25. This fabulous address was bought in 1906 and restored to how it was in Keats day and opened as a museum to both Keats and Shelley. Very interesting to see how simply Keats lived, and see pictures of Rome from the early 1800s.

Babington’s Tea Rooms were opened in 1893, sadly long after Keats died so he never got the opportunity to take tea there, it may have helped. Two young English ladies, Isabel Cargill and Anna Maria Babington, moved to Rome with £100.00 to open Tea Rooms to cater for the growing English population of Rome. They opened business in what was the stables of an 18th century palazzo, having made a success of their first tea room not far from there. After Anna Maria’s death in 1929, her sister, Annie, invested her life savings into the business. WW1 and the great depression had taken their toll, but with this investment, Anna Maria’s daughter, Dorothy, along with Annie and Isabel were able to bring it back to a successful business.

The business was struck another blow in WW2, but with lots of hard work was again brought back to life and today is operated by Isabel’s great-grandchildren. Babington’s is a lovely place to spend some time before continuing to explore Rome.

The high fashion establishments are all in this area. Looking from the Spanish Steps you have a view straight down Via Condotti, great window shopping in this street. On the left corner of Via Condotti fronting on to Piazza di Spagna is Dior, on the right is Prada, with Missoni next door. Further to the right is Chanel and round to the left in Piazza Magnanelli is Valentino. All the way down Via Condotti, at the intersection of Via del Corso is the Head Quarters on Fendi, where I bought my beautiful silk scarf celebrating 75 years of The Bagette, Fendi’s signature handbag.




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Itinerary for Trip Over to Rome

Flew from Sydney to Rome via Dubai, with Qantas/Emirates.

Stayed in an apartment near Largo di Argentina for a month – rented through Sleep in Italy, now available on Airbnb.

Walked all over Rome, bought a one month transport ticket for buses, the metro and some trains.

We caught the fast train from Rome Termini to Florence, and stayed for 3 nights at the Hotel Savoy.

While in Florence we went on a tour with Viator to Siena and San Gimignano.

Arranged for us to be picked up at the airport on arrival, and taken back at the end of our holiday with a private transfer with Viator.

Around 45 minutes on the train from Palermo, Cefalu is a pretty seaside resort town with old historic buildings, like the duomo that opened in 1240. The beaches are sandy here so in peak summer they must be packed. I wanted to walk up to the top of the rocky backdrop, but I got to the half way point and someone told me there were another 275 uneven steps to climb up from there, so I opted out, my knees were already feeling it!!.#cefalù #cefalubeach #cefalusicily #cefaluduomo #visitsicily #solotravel#solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring
This seems to be all it does in Sydney these days, although there is a fine day forecast for tomorrow 😊 As I walked through St Leonards Park this morning on my way to work, there was everything from torrential to drizzle. Most of NSW north of Sydney has completely gone under in floods, so the rain in Sydney is nothing compared to what others are going through 😒#stleonardspark #rainfall #waterwaterandmorewater #morningcommute #walkinthepark #northsydney #northsydneyintherain
The never ending parade in Taormina continues......#taorminasicily #taormina #sicilytravel #sicilytourism #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip
Sydney is Christmas ready, the QVB has the tree up. All the shopping centres have hauled the decorations out of storage and put them up, same as usual....they all need to swap decorations to give some variety 🎄🎄🎄#christmas #christmastree #qvb #qvbsydney #sydneychristmas #christmasdecorations #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneyarchitecture #decorationsup #shoppinginsydney #myhometown #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything
Caught the bus down to the seaside today, the pebbles were bigger than I've seen on any beach anywhere, it was like a rock quarry!! How people were sitting on it was a mystery! Then to top it off it was high tide and I was ill equipped to walk thigh deep through the water to get to Isola Bella. Now I know what to prepare for, I'll have another go later.......#taorminasicily #taormina #isolabella #isolabellataormina #sicilianbeach #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily #downbytheseaside
When I was in Mdina a few days ago, I could see the giant domestic of the Mosta Rotunda off in the distance (have a look at that reel). So I caught the bus to Mosta! The Rotunda was built in the early 1800s, so quite modern by Maltese standards! I walked up 75 steps of the narrow stone spiral staircase into the dome, then back down to check out the WWll air raid shelter underneath, and the bomb that landed here but fortunately didn't explode..#mosta #mostarotunda #mostarotundachurch #maltalife #malta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #exploretheworld #exploremalta
Today I set off on the #51 bus from Valletta to Mtarfa in central Malta, in search of the hospital my brother and I were born in. I had read is was now a college, but it seems to be all closed up behind locked gates. I climbed up on walls so I could get a photo of those magic words above the entrance, "David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital". A few days ago I found the house we lived in in Tarxien, not far from Valletta. We moved back to England when I was 6 weeks old, so memories are a bit sketchy!! .#malta #whereiwasborn #myfirsthome #mrarfa #royalnavalhospital #maltalife #neverstopexploring #backwhereitallbegan ##solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes ##traveltheworldwithme
Went off into the countryside to the village of Shere in Surrey, just a short train trip from Waterloo Station, a fabulous pub lunch!!.#shere #englishcountryside #whitehorsepub #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #waterloostationclock #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #magnolias #sherechurch
Went on an excursion through the centre of Sicily to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento near the south coast, then remains of Greek Temples built on the 5th century BC! Then we went down to the coast to look at Scala dei Turchi, the natural formation of step like ridges in the rock. Ottomans Turks found shelter here, giving it the name.#valleyofthetemples #agrigento #agrigentosicily #scaladeiturchi #Sicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
On the morning commute the sky couldn't make up it's mind - all blue sky and fluffy white clouds in one direction, and very grey in the other.....this continued all day leading into the Australia Day long weekend...#morninginspiration #morningcommute #flowersinthestreets #walkinthepark #whiteflowers #pinkflowers #sydney #sydneystyle #northsydney #stleonardspark #stleonardsparknorthsydney #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
A short train trip from Syracuse, then a walk up the hill to Noto. A town with more churches per square inch than I've ever seen!!!!.#noto #notosicily #sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
Had a great time exploring the city of Palermo, it's been quite an adventure!! Off back to London today.....#Palermo #palermosicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
The Chanel Christmas window at David Jones in Sydney CBD. It's been sooooo hot lately, adding snow to pics in Sydney really helps!!😉🎄☀️🎄☀️🎄#christmasinsydney #christmastree #christmasdecorations #christmasiscoming #sydneystreets #davidjones #chanel #chanelChristmas #hotinthecity #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneystyle #sydneychristmas #sydneyaustralia #sydneycbd #sydneylocal #lunchtimewalks
Robertson's Lighthouse at Cremorne Point on the north shore of Sydney Harbour, and beautiful plants in the gardens on the walk, and a lovely view of Sydney Harbour Bridge....#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #robertsonslighthouse #neverstopexploring #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #blueskyandsunshine #sydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyharbourbridge
The things you see just ambling around Valletta, sometimes I take the long route around to avoid more really steep and uneven steps, but this always leads to finding more things to see..#valletta #vallettamalta #vallettastreets #malta #maltalife #streetsofvalletta #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
My last evening in Syracuse, it has been a really lovely place to explore. Making my way up the east coast of Sicily, I'm off to Taormina today. .#syracuse #syracusesicily #syracusesicilystreets #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly #traveladdict
Having arrived in London really early, my hotel room wasn't ready, so I left my luggage there and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Naomi Campbell exhibition while I waited. Love it when a visit to London coincides with a great exhibition @vamuseum #naomicampbell #vanda #victoriaandalbertmuseum #London #londonfashion #londonstyle #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinlondon #traveltheworldwithme
Right in the centre of Taormina is this over grown 2000 year old Roman Baths, inhabited by stray cats. There is a sign pointing to it, but it's a bit of a mess.....then on the other side of the square is an old Roman theatre, also dating back to the 1st century..#romanbaths #romantheatre #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily
First day in Syracuse, arrived early on the ferry from Malta, then a train from Pozzallo to Syracuse. My hotel room wasn't ready so I walked around Ortigia, had a coffee, checked out the markets, then my room was ready. I settled in then headed off to the archaeological park.....lots of ancient Greek arches, amphitheatres, and lots of modern bronze castings of ancient Greek things!!!.#syracuse #sicily #sicilytourism #sicilytravel #visitsyracuse #archaeology #ancientgreekhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
The walled city of Mdina, the old capital of Malta, sitting high up on the hill looking out over the country.It was a bit like arriving in Disneyland at first, actors dressed up as whatever they thought medieval Maltese dressed like and whipping people in stocks, while the horse carriage drivers touted for business, but once you get through all that, it was very beautiful..#mdina #mdinamalta #mdinathesilentcity #mdinastreets #maltalife #malta #solotravel#solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #exploretheworld
Walking around Cremorne Point from Mosman Bay out to the point, with great views everywhere you look🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞...#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #blueskyandsunshine #walkinthesun #seetheworldthroughmylens #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydney #sydneybythesea #sydneynativeplants #sydneyferries #sydneyharbour
My adventure begins!! Leaving Sydney for London, then Malta, then Sicily 🥂🌞🌞🌞.#Sydney #sydneyaurport #Qantas @qantas #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #nextadventure #traveltheworldwithme #londoncalling #upintheair
Such a beautiful weekend in Sydney, the weather is just perfect!! The sun glistening on the water around Cremorne Point!! 🌞😍..#cremornepoint #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneylife #sydneylocal #Sydney #sydneyaustralia #sailingonsydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #rockformations #sunglisteningonthewater
I think this critter is a Water Dragon, apparently they live around Cremorne Point on Sydney Harbours North Shore. We just stared at each other for a while, then he ran off down into the bush towards the water...#waterdragon #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyharbour #sydneyoperahouse #sydneywaterdragon #cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #pinkflowers #blueskyandsunshine
I went all over the place today, 23,000 steps!! Walked down through St James's Park to the Jewel Tower behind Westminster Abbey, then caught the tube to Canary Wharf to look at the Whale made from waste. Then Elizabeth line to Paddington for lunch. Walked from there to Regent's Park, then down through Marylebone and Mayfair, and as it was now such a lovely sunny evening, I walked around St James's Park again.....now having a glass of wine looking over Green Park🥂💖#Paddington #paddingtonbear #jeweltower #canarywharf #regentspark #stjamessPark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything#solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
Christmas is coming to The Stand Arcade in Sydney, same decorations every year, but they always look good here 🎄🎄🎄#strandarcade #strandarcadesydney #christmasatthestrand #christmasdecorations #christmasinsydney #decorationsup #shoppinginsydney #myhometown #sydneylife #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneyaustralia #sydneychristmas #sydneycbd
It's quite mesmerising watching the man in the clock resetting the time every minute, just outside Paddington Station, London. Sorry about all the camera movement as people wanted to get past me!! #manintheclock #Paddington #paddingtonstationlondon #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinlondon #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
The public gardens in Taormina on land that was once owned by the same lady who owned Isola Bella in the late 1800s, Lady Florence Trevelyan, a distant relation of Queen Victoria who was exiled from England for having an affair with the future King Edward Vll (why wasn't he exiled for the same issue??) She moved to Taormina and bought Isola Bella, later marrying the Mayor of Taormina. Together they created the public gardens, which are beautifully looked after to encourage various plants and birds to live there..#oarcotreveltan #publicgardentaormina #taorminasicily #taormina #walkinthepark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #madeinitaly #madeinsicily #sicilytravel
Easter Sunday in Palermo, not a chocolate Easter egg to be found!! I caught a bus up to Monreale as I had been told the gold mosaics in the duomo were amazing. I think a catholic church service for Easter is not the place an atheist should be! Even if the building was amazing, dating back to the 1100s. I just can't agree with them asking the poorest people to donate money to the wealthiest organisation in the world, and giving nothing in return, the homeless will still be on the streets tonight! I then caught a bus to Mondello, apparently the most famous beach in Sicily. Looks lovely but I have never been hounded by so many Indians wanting to sell me a sarong😧!!#monreale #mondello #Sicily #eastersundayinsicily ##solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme ##seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Big day yesterday, out and about on Malta's buses, so far so good, with my 7 day ticket in hand, went off to Tarxien, Marsaxlokk, Sliema and back to Valletta..#malta #marsaxlokk #fishingboats #maltalife #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #seeeverythingdoeverything
I'm in planning mode getting ready for my next Trip Over The World. Read the new post about my planning process by clicking the link in the bio...#tripplanning #tripplanningtime #malta #sicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme
Flowers hanging over someone's fence in Neutral Bay, then on to St Leonard's Park...#stleonardspark #stleonardsparknorthsydney #yellowfliwers #yellowflowersoftheday #walkinthepark #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #northsydney #sydneystreets
Caught the fast ferry from Valletta to Gozo, had a wander around Victoria, then went all over the Island on top deck of a bus!! That was quite an experience - a double decker bus negotiating streets designed for a horse and cart!! There were times that there was only inches to spare either side!..#gozo #gozoisland #hoponhopoffbus #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #neverstopexploring
We're all ready for Santa here in Sydney 🎅🎄🥂!! Best wishes for tomorrow - hope you're not on the naughty list!!!!#christmasinsydney #christmasready❤️🎄🎁 #waitingforsanta #merrychristmas🎄
It was hot, then it got very humid, lots of cloud.....maybe rain later, but there was a nice breeze on the harbour. I'm ready for summer to end....#sydneyharbour #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #lookingforthebreeze #cremornepoint #sydneylocal #sydneyoperhouse #sailingonsydneyharbour #nativeaustralianflowers
Flowers are out and about on the Cremorne Point walk!! ..#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #sydneylocal #sydney #sydneywalks #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneybythesea #sydneyinsummertime #yellowflowers #pinkflowers #redflowers #sydneynativeplants
A beautiful spring day in London, cool, crisp, but so much warmer than I was expecting 🌞 St James's Park was in full bloom🌼🌷⚘️🌺.#London #stjamesspalace #stjamespark #magnolias #pinkblossoms #walkinthepark #traveltheworldwithme #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
On my way to the bus stop the other day, I noticed the row of trees on the main road are all this weird yellowish colour where the bark has peeled off, is this normal??? Certainly not my favourite colour!!.#sydneystreets #neutralbay #sydneynorthshore #yellowgumtree #aftertherain #myhometown #onthecommute #treesinsydney #crossingtheroad #treeschangingcolour #walktowork #sydneylife #sydneynativeplants #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Strange weather, but at least we don't have a cyclone to contend with.......#sydney #sydneylocal #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneylife #sydneyweekend #nativeplants #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #outonthewater #sydneyharbour ##cremornepoint
It's all about eating.......🎄🥂🎊🎄!!#christmasinsydney #eatingseason #festivefoodandmood
The Greek Theatre in Taormina built in 300BC, still standing and still showing plays and operas. The views from the top of the auditorium out over the sea and the town are amazing....I think I took about 200 photos!! Slightly excessive, but I couldn't stop 🥂🤩.#taorminasicily #taormina #greektheatretaormina #teatrogrecotaormina #sicilytravel #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
Flying into London at sunrise, we had to do a few laps before we could fit into the landing schedule. Then straight on to the Underground and into the cool London air, which was so good after the relentless heat and humidity in Sydney..#londoncalling #London #thamesriver #toweroflondon #ritzlondon #caviarhouse #qantas #qf1 #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme #flyinghigh
The beautiful little island, Isola Bella, in the bay below Taormina once owned by Lady Florence Trevelyan after she was exiled from England. To get to it you need to walk through the water, only 20 to 30cm deep at low tide, more at high tide, but worth it for the views..#isolabella #isolabellataormina #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring
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