On May 1, we began the day with a van ride to the Spanish Steps. The driver let us off at the top; it must be closed to most vehicle traffic at the bottom. I was glad as it was easier for me to go down. It is truly beautiful and the reason they are called Spanish Steps is because they link the church at the top with the Spanish Embassy, which is still the Spanish Embassy today though it is a few doors to the left in the picture below. There is a fountain with a boat sculpture (la barca) at the bottom. It is said to be the work of Pietro Bernini, father of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and the son may have completed it when his father died. The son is the famous sculptor. Construction was 1627-1629. The boat is meant to be a reminder of a flood in 1598 when a little boat was deposited at the foot of the Spanish Steps.
We were there early in the day, so it wasn't too crowded. I expect it was very crowded later because May 1 is a holiday in Italy. We then had a coffee break at the Caffe Greco.
Many famous people have hung out there and it was a favorite place, for instance, of Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemons. Here's a bust of him that is in the caffe:
There is a long list of other famous patrons, but we were particularly interested in John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. They lived very close, at the bottom right of the Spanish Steps, our next stop was the Keats-Shelley house, which is now a museum dedicated to second-generation Romantic poets. Lord Byron is also associated with that residence. Keats died in a room that is restored to how it was then. He could hear the La Barca fountain from his bed and see the Spanish Steps. This is the view from his room:
We then independently ate lunch and explored the neighborhood. We got together back at the hotel for a briefing on the Vatican Museums in preparation for the next day. We also took a tram to go to dinner in the Trastevere neighborhood. Busy, good day, and aren't the flowers on the steps lovely?
No comments:
Post a Comment