And this is Rome as could not do justice to it without writing of another of my favorite squares. If you want to know Rome and its most modern look then by no means come to the squares. I have written several posts on Rome as my favorite Italian city, but feel that I need to tell you a bit more on the Piazza di Spagna or Spain’s square of Rome!
The Piazza di Spagna is one of my favorite squares in Rome, located in the luxury shopping district with via Condotti, Via del Corso, via Borgognona, via Frattina and Via del Babuino all around it! This is a very nice area to do your walks and very chic we love it! I will be doing an update on text and links using same older pictures ; my son on the left ! Hope you enjoy it as I.
A bit of history I like
In 1620 Spain took possession of this square renamed Spain’s square or piazza di Spagna to establish at No. 63 its embassy to the Holy See in a renaissance building. In 1629 the Barcaccia fountain was created at the request of Pope Urbain VIII. Between 1644 the Palace di Propaganda Fide was built south of the square. Since 1622 it has been the seat of the Congregation for the Evangelization of the peoples of the Roman Curia. At the beginning of the 18C there are many hotels and inns: The District is entirely dedicated to the accommodation of foreigners. And according to the parish registers of all the inhabitants of the city, the area of Piazza di Spagna can be considered one of the most cosmopolitan of Europe.
Between 1723 and 1726 the French cardinal Pierre Guérin de Tencin ordered built by France La Scalinata , monumental staircase in marbre of late Baroque style of 138 marches on three levels which was inaugurated by the Pope Benedict XIII on the occasion of the Jubilee (Holy Year) of 1725. In 1854 Pope Pius IX erected the ancient column of the Immaculate Conception in front of the Spanish Embassy on Mignanelli square, which extended the piazza di Spagna. Every 8th December, the statue of the Virgin is the subject of an annual Marian pilgrimage with the presence of the Pope.
In the 19C the British poet John Keats spent the last days of his life at No. 26 in the Casina Rossa where he disappeared in 1821 (to the right of the monumental staircase. In the same house, the Swedish writer Axel Munthe, author of the Book of San Michele, opened his medical practice at the end of the 19C. The house is now a museum dedicated to its two famous inhabitants. In 1834 the Sovereign Military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta installed its international headquarters in a palace of 68 via Condotti with an extraterritorial status granted by the Italian state.
The Rome tourist office on the Piazza di Spagna: https://www.turismoroma.it/fr/places/piazza-di-spagna
There you go folks, an unique square to be visited while in Rome. For us the walk, the architecture ,history was top we stop by a few times while in Rome. You will love the walks around the Piazza di Spagna, just lovely. Hope you enjoy it as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 