A must-see near Piazza di Spagna
Scalinata Trinità dei Monti
The Spanish Steps are an architectural masterpiece and a symbol of Rome for Goethe. They stand between Piazza di Spagna and the Pincio hill.
Built between 1723 and 1726, the Spanish Steps of Trinità dei Monti frame the famous Piazza di Spagna and are the perfect embodiment of Rome’s 18th century monumental style.
The Spanish Steps are made up of 135 steps that flow like a river of stone to connect the Piazza di Spagna with the Church of Trinità dei Monti. This evocative and iconic staircase is at the crossroads of artistic tradition and everyday life in Rome.
The beauty and harmony of Rome
It was a place beloved by Goethe, who saw it as the embodiment of urban beauty and harmony. Goethe saw the elegant curves and terraces of this staircase as the perfect union of nature and human ingenuity, a theatrical setting where visitors from all over the world become characters in a perpetual performance.
In his writings, Goethe recalls a chance discovery that led him to become inextricably linked with this corner of Rome: «They were digging at Trinità dei Monti to lay the foundation for the new obelisk. My hairdresser, who came by early in the morning, found a piece of smooth terracotta decorated with figures among the debris, cleaned it and showed it to us. I immediately buy it from him. It is less than a hand’s width, one might think it is a fragment of the rim of a large cup. It depicts two griffins on either side of a sacrificial table; they are beautifully drawn and I like them immensely.”
