Marek K.
At the foot of Pincio Hill, Piazza di Spagna is a grand, elegant and lively square that has drawn artists, poets and travellers for centuries. It became known by this name in the 17th century, when the official Spanish embassy to the Papal See moved into the building it still occupies today. The square is a centre of Roman style and cultural life, with luxurious old palazzos lining it like an open-air catwalk. The famous Spanish Steps are here, and at their foot sits the unusual Barcaccia Fountain, shaped like a half-submerged boat. Pietro Bernini, father of Gian Lorenzo, made it between 1627 and 1629. Legend says Pope Urban VIII wanted the 1598 flood, when the overflowing Tiber reached this low-lying square, remembered in stone. A real fishing boat was washed up here. The ancient Acqua Virgo aqueduct had low pressure, so the architect had to set the fountain below ground level, which made its shape even more distinctive. Via dei Condotti, Rome’s main fashion street, starts here, with flagship shops for Gucci, Prada, Valentino, Armani and other leading fashion houses. At the southern end, by the Palace of the Spanish Embassy, stands a 12-metre column of antique marble topped with a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary. It was put up in 1857 to mark the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Each December 8th, the Pope visits, and firefighters use a special ladder to hang fresh flowers on the statue’s right arm. Beside the base of the Spanish Steps is the austere ochre house where the English Romantic poet John Keats spent the last months of his life in 1821. It now holds the Keats and Shelley Museum, preserving the feel of the Grand Tour era, when the square was a refuge for Rome’s foreign intelligentsia. The Barcaccia Fountain is fed by a pristine ancient aqueduct, and the water is safe to drink. Small taps at the ends of the boat let Romans and seasoned tourists fill bottles with cold water.
