Yes Hotel Rome Travel Blog: The Rome travel guide

By the 16th century the number of pilgrims increased so much that Rome turned into an unbelievably congested medieval centre.

To help the pilgrims  move more smoothly from the north gate Porta del Popolo to The Vatican a new triangle of roads was built.

By 18th century as the district developed   many hotels were set up to accommodate the increasing and constant flow of visitors. Famous poet John Keats lived in a house on the square, now converted in the Keats-Shelley House which you can visit.

Nowadays one can enjoy many of the attractions the area offers, mainly great works of Renaissance and Baroque art in Santa Maria del Popolo and Sant ‘ Andrea delle Fratte and Art exhibitions in the Villa Medici. You can enjoy the beautiful views of the Eternal city from the top of the Spanish Steps in the Pincio where you will be able to admire, amongst other unique monuments, the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica and enjoy amazing sunsets.

The Piazza Di Spagna district is also very famous for its most exclusive  Rome shopping streets such as the high fashion Via Condotti, where the expensive couture shops such as Prada, Gucci and Ferragamo have set up their shops.

Piazza di Spagna in Rome (the Spanish Square) is the shape of bow tie and is no doubt the most famous “Piazza” in Rome ! Visitors but also the locals love sitting on the stairs for a chat, a drink or to enjoy an ice cream while looking at the passers by. Italian males here are renowned to flirt with the foreign girls, and some of them are actually called “Paparazzi”, because they are looking for rich women to go out with !

The Spanish steps are surrounded by tall houses painted in different warm colors, muted shades of ocher, cream and russet.

Why is it called ‘the Spanish square’ ?

In 17-th the Spain’s ambassador to the Holy see had his headquarters on the square.So this area around was deemed to be Spanish territory.

In 18-th and 19-th century Rome was almost as popular as now and the Spanish square was in the center of the city and it was a mai hotel district.

The small fountain in the square is called Fontana della Barcaccia. During spring and autumn it may not be noticeable because of the many people gathering around it. This fountain was designed either by the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini or by his father Pietro. The bees and suns that decorate the fountain are taken from the family coat of ars of Pope Urban VIII Barberini who commissioned the fountain.

In the 17-th century the French Owners of the church Trinità dei Monti decided to link it with the Spanish square by building magnificent new flights of steps to celebrate the newly found peace between France and Spain, and the square was named accordingly, “Spagna” meaning Spain in Italian. The famous church of Trinità dei Monti was under the French influence as early as the sixteenth century. Later on, the Accadémie de France in Rome was transferred to the nearby Villa Medici.

Nowadays the famous “Scalinata” (staircase) is used during summer for famous fashion catwalks such as “Donne Sotto le Stelle”.

How to get there : From Yes Hotel Rome    take metro Line A , direction Battistini and get off at stop ‘Spagna’, only 3 stops away from your comfortable Yes Hotel.