Monuments of Rome - Piazza di Spagna and Trinità dei Monti

The square is one of the most characteristic spots and offers a splendid panorama of the centre of Rome. Dominated by the façade of the Church of the Trinità dei Monti, built in 1502 and consecrated in 1587 by Sixtus V, who made it a key point of his ambitious urban plan, became the starting point of the Via Felice, later the Sistine Way, a straight road that led pilgrims to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

In the centre of the square is the obelisk, the convergence point of several roads. A Roman imitation of Egyptian obelisks, it dates back to imperial times and came from the Orti Sallustiani, but was placed here as a connecting element between the church and the steps. The hieroglyphs were carved in Rome imitating those of the obelisk in Piazza del Popolo . At the corner formed by the convergence of Via Sistina and Via Gregoriana is Palazzetto Zuccari , designed by Federico Zuccari and known by the nickname 'house of monsters' because the windows on the sides are modelled like the mouths of monsters. It was inhabited by the Polish Queen Maria Sobiesky . Proscenium to the church is the monumental staircase of Trinità dei Monti designed in 1726 by Francesco De Sanctis and built entirely in travertine. Choosing the number three as his inspiration, in honour of the church of the Trinity, De Sanctis created a series of ramps divided into three parts that then join and immediately converge in two directions in an alternation of convexity and concavity of the walls, of steps and resting levels. Since 1951, a large azalea exhibition has been held in April-May, giving the stairway a very special charm.