A French diplomat died in Rome in 1660 and left money for a staircase. It took sixty-three years, two dead popes, a contested will and a furious argument about whether a French king's statue could stand over a papal city. What was finally built in 1723 is not really a staircase. It is a slope made theatrical — and nobody has ever used it the way it was designed.
The argument that took sixty-three years
Étienne Gueffier, a French diplomat, died in 1660 leaving money to connect the square below with the French church of Trinità dei Monti above.
Two things stalled it. His will was contested by a nephew, who took half the money. And the project became a diplomatic quarrel: Mazarin wanted a statue of Louis XIV at the top, and papal Rome would not have a French king on horseback presiding over one of its hills.
The steps were finally built between 1723 and 1725, to a design by Francesco de Sanctis — older books credit Alessandro Specchi, but current scholarship credits de Sanctis.
There are 135 steps, in twelve flights, climbing about 29 metres. They widen, narrow and widen again, breaking into terraces and curving ramps rather than running straight. The design descends from villa-garden staircases, with Bramante's Belvedere Court and Michelangelo's Laurentian stair as precedents.
Everything about the name is wrong
They are French in funding, in patronage and in destination. The Spanish contribution is the name of the square at the bottom, which comes from the Spanish embassy to the Holy See.
The Italian name — Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti — refers to the French church at the top, founded by French kings: the land bought by Charles VIII in 1494, the church begun by Louis XII in 1502 and consecrated in 1585.
And "the Spanish Steps" is an English name. Nothing about them is Spanish.
The boat at the bottom, and why it sits so low
The Fontana della Barcaccia, a half-sunken stone boat of 1627–29, was made for Urban VIII by Pietro Bernini — possibly with help from his son Gian Lorenzo, which is the single commonest error told on this square. Attributing it flatly to the famous Bernini is wrong.
The fountain sits almost at street level, and there is a charming story that a flood in 1598 stranded a boat here. It is a legend. The practical explanation is water pressure: the Acqua Vergine arrives at this point with almost none, so the fountain had to be designed low.
Keats died at the foot of the steps
John Keats died on 23 February 1821, aged 25, in the house at the bottom right of the steps. It is now a museum.
Under the health rules of the time, the contents of his room — the furniture, the bedding, everything — were burned afterwards.
Six things almost everyone believes that aren't true
| Claim | Verdict | What is actually the case |
|---|---|---|
| They are Spanish | False | French in funding, patronage and destination. The name comes from the Spanish embassy on the square below |
| Bernini built the fountain | Misleading | The commission went to Pietro Bernini, his father. Gian Lorenzo may have had a hand in it. This is the commonest error told here |
| A flood in 1598 left a boat here, which inspired the fountain | Legend | A charming story. The practical explanation is that the Acqua Vergine arrives with almost no pressure |
| Alessandro Specchi designed the steps | Outdated | Older books say so. Current scholarship credits Francesco de Sanctis |
| There are 138 steps | No agreed count | 135 is the standard figure |
| You can sit on them like Audrey Hepburn | Not since 2019 | She does eat a gelato on the steps in Roman Holiday, but sitting on them has been prohibited since July 2019, with a fine of €250 |
When to come
The obelisk in front of the church at the top is a Roman imitation of an Egyptian one, re-erected in 1789 for Pius VI — worth the climb for the view back down Via dei Condotti.
Azaleas are banked up the steps each spring, traditionally from around 21 April. That is the week the staircase looks the way every photograph of it promises.
Hear this one standing in front of it
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Written from Wanderlight's research dossier for Spanish Steps — the same one the narration is written from. Where the evidence is thin, this page says so rather than rounding the uncertainty up.