Fantasy: The Spanish Steps

The Scalinata di Trinita dei Monti, or Spanish Steps to you and me, are a must-visit in the Eternal City, Rome. They were constructed nearly 300 years ago by a relatively unknown architect, Francesco de Sanctis, and connect the Piazza di Spagna and the Piazza Trinita dei Monti.

The steps played an important part in the movie A Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn, so make sure you recreate that scene once you visit.

Reality: The Spanish Steps

Let’s be real, they’re just steps. You can go up them or down them. That’s it. They don’t do anything else. Yet, when you visit them, you’ll see that they are filled with people, either using them as stairs or sitting on them. And not just a few people, hundreds of them.

And finally, why are they called the Spanish Steps if they’re in Italy and designed by an Italian architect? One could probably use google to find the answer but they’re just stairs for crying out loud. Why do they even have a name?