Spanish Steps history is longer and messier than the stairway’s calm look suggests: a French bequest, a fight with the papacy, a design competition and then three centuries of repairs and rules. This page gives the Spanish Steps history as a timeline, then by period, then as a numbered list of facts with the source for each. I used Wikipedia and Wikidata and show both numbers where they differ. There is no ticket for the steps themselves, but if you want a guided walk that ends there, my page on tickets for the Spanish Steps compares ten.
Spanish Steps History Timeline
Year
What happened
1580s
Archive drawings show Pope Gregory XIII interested in a stair to the French church
1627 to 1629
The Fontana della Barcaccia is built at the foot of the slope
1660
The French diplomat Etienne Gueffier dies, leaving part of his fortune for a stairway
1717
A design competition is won by Francesco de Sanctis
1725
The opening year given by Wikidata
1726
de Sanctis’s drawing is engraved by Girolamo Rossi, with a dedication to Louis XV
1995
A restoration runs from May to December
2015 to 2016
A Bulgari-sponsored restoration, from 8 October 2015 to 21 September 2016
2019
New rules fine visitors for sitting on the steps
Spanish Steps History Before the Stairway Existed
The early Spanish Steps history is the history of a slope nobody could solve. Wikipedia describes generations of heated debate over how the steep, 29-metre slope to the church on a shoulder of the Pincio should be urbanised, and archive drawings from the 1580s show Pope Gregory XIII already interested in a stair to the recently completed facade of the French church.
The money came from a Frenchman. Etienne Gueffier, the French diplomat to the Holy See, died in 1660 and left part of his fortune for the stairs. Cardinal Mazarin took a personal interest and entrusted the project to his agent in Rome, whose plan included an equestrian monument to Louis XIV. According to Wikipedia that intrusion created a furore in papal Rome. Mazarin died in 1661 and the pope in 1667, and Gueffier’s will was successfully contested by a nephew who claimed half, so the project lay dormant until Pope Clement XI took it up in the early 18th century.
Spanish Steps History: The 1717 Competition
A competition held in 1717 was won by Francesco de Sanctis, though Alessandro Specchi was long thought to have produced the winning entry. Wikipedia says little is known of de Sanctis, who was favoured by the French during the design process, and that his drawing was engraved by Girolamo Rossi in 1726 with a long dedication to Louis XV.
The dates do not line up neatly. Wikidata gives 1725 as the year the stairway opened, which is a year before the engraving, and the Wikipedia article does not state a completion year. I would say the steps date from the 1720s and not claim a single year.
The design itself was an inflation of existing ideas. Wikipedia calls it a gigantic expansion of the conventions of terraced garden stairs, citing the divided symmetrical stairs Bramante devised for the Belvedere Courtyard in the 1500s and the shaped steps Michelangelo introduced at the Laurentian Library. The Bourbon fleur-de-lys and the eagle and crown of Innocent XIII are balanced in the sculptural details.
Spanish Steps History Around the Piazza di Spagna
The square at the bottom gives the steps their English name. The Spanish Embassy to the Holy See is in the Palazzo Monaldeschi at the foot, while the church of Trinita dei Monti is at the top. At the corner on the right is the house where the English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821, now a museum. In the square stands the Barcaccia fountain, built in 1627 to 1629 and often credited to Pietro Bernini. A legend, which Wikipedia reports only as a legend, says Pope Urban VIII installed it after a flood of the Tiber brought a boat here.
Spanish Steps History of Repairs and Restoration
Mid-18th-century writers already noted that the steps were in poor condition, and they have been restored several times since, including from May to December 1995. The most recent big restoration was sponsored by Bulgari, whose Italian flagship store is nearby. It began on 8 October 2015, and the steps reopened on 21 September 2016. Wikipedia says it covered almost 3,000 square metres of travertine, as well as brick, marble and plaster, employed more than 80 people and cost 1.5 million euros.
Spanish Steps History in Modern Times
The steps have been a film location for decades. Wikipedia lists Roman Holiday in 1953, The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999 and To Rome with Love in 2012, and says the end credits of Mission: Impossible, Dead Reckoning Part One in 2023 note that a studio replica was used for its car chase. In the same year, 2023, the film premiered on the steps themselves.
Several city administrations tried to stop visitors getting too comfortable on the steps, but the early bans on loitering and eating were not enforced. That changed in July 2019, when the administration of Mayor Virginia Raggi introduced stricter rules. Wikipedia reports fines of 250 euros for sitting down and up to 400 euros for dirtying or damaging the steps, including eating on them.
The recent Spanish Steps history also includes damage. In May 2022 a driver took a rented Maserati down the first flight, and fractures were found in two steps. In June 2022 two tourists launched a scooter down the steps, damaging a travertine step at a repair cost of 25,000 euros, and were fined 400 euros each. In June 2025 a driver in his 80s got a car stuck halfway down, and the steps were closed so archaeologists could inspect them. Wikipedia also links the steps to the Slow Food movement, which began after the opening of Italy’s first McDonald’s near them in March 1986.
Francesco de Sanctis won the 1717 competition (Wikipedia).
Wikidata lists de Sanctis as architect and gives 1725 as the opening year (Wikidata).
Etienne Gueffier left part of his fortune for the stairs when he died in 1660 (Wikipedia).
The design was engraved in 1726, with a dedication to Louis XV (Wikipedia).
The Barcaccia fountain at the foot was built in 1627 to 1629 (Wikipedia).
John Keats lived and died in the house beside the steps in 1821 (Wikipedia).
A restoration ran from May to December 1995 (Wikipedia).
The 2015 to 2016 restoration cost 1.5 million euros and employed more than 80 people (Wikipedia).
The 2019 rules allow fines of 250 euros for sitting and up to 400 euros for damage (Wikipedia).
A scooter incident in June 2022 cost 25,000 euros to repair (Wikipedia).
The 1953 film Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, features the steps (Wikipedia).
See the Spanish Steps History on a Walk
The steps are best understood on foot, and the walk I would pick is the Crown Tours guided walk at $39. It runs 2.5 hours, has 4.6 stars from 282 reviews, and finishes at the steps after the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain.
Crown Tours
Pantheon, Navona, Trevi & Spanish Steps Guided Tour
★4.6 (282 reviews)
2.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: My pick: a 2.5 hour guided walk that ends at the Spanish Steps, 4.6 from 282 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Pantheon entry ticket
✓ Guided visit inside the Pantheon
✓ Trevi Fountain visitor-area access ticket
✓ Guided visit inside the Trevi Fountain's visitor area, with your guide accompanying you
✓ Guided walking tour including Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps
✓ Professional licensed guide
Not included / not suitable
✕ Transportation
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Tips
Meeting point: Meet near the elephant statue at Piazza della Minerva, a perfect rendezvous for our Pantheon tour. Find our friendly staff wearing purple "Crown tours"t-shirts.
Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the activity start time.Kindly note that late arrivals are not guaranteed access to the tour.
For any assistance, please contact Crown Tours via the app chat feature, respond to our latest message Piazza della Minerva, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Sara was a very knowledgeable and engaging guide. She provided background information on the sites we visited and discussed extensively other pertinent aspects of the history of Italy. It was an enjoyable tour.” – GetYourGuide review
If you want something below ground, the Trevi Fountain underground aqueduct and Spanish Steps tour at $46 has 4.8 stars from 581 reviews.
Live Virtual Guide
Trevi Fountain Underground Aqueduct and Spanish Steps Tour
★4.8 (581 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The higher-rated pick: Trevi underground aqueduct plus the steps, 4.8 from 581 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Small group tour (max. 12 people guaranteed)
✓ Knowledgeable and friendly local guide
✓ Entry tickets to the Underground Aqueduct
✓ Direct contact via phone or WhatsApp for any questions you may have about the tour
Not included / not suitable
✕ Pickup from/to the hotel
Meeting point: Meeting point may vary depending on the option you select. Check availability for more details.
Languages: English
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Valeria was an excellent guide! She was extremely knowledgeable and easy to understand. She looked after the group at a very comfortable pace and was very helpful and engaging. I highly recommend this tour with Valeria.” – GetYourGuide review
Wikipedia says the stairway was designed by the architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. A competition held in 1717 was won by de Sanctis, although Specchi was long thought to have produced the winning entry. Wikidata lists de Sanctis as the architect and gives 1725 as the opening year.
Why are they called the Spanish Steps?+
The steps climb from the Piazza di Spagna, where the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See stands in the Palazzo Monaldeschi. Their Italian name is Scalinata di Trinita dei Monti, after the French church at the top, which Wikipedia says was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France.
How many steps are there?+
Wikipedia says 135 steps, on a slope 29 metres high. Counts of steps can vary with whether landings are included, so I would say about 135 and not promise an exact number.
When were the Spanish Steps last restored?+
From 8 October 2015 to 21 September 2016, sponsored by Bulgari. Wikipedia says the work covered almost 3,000 square metres of travertine, brick, marble and plaster, employed more than 80 people and cost 1.5 million euros. An earlier restoration ran from May to December 1995.
Can you sit on the Spanish Steps?+
No. In July 2019 the Rome administration introduced rules that Wikipedia says allow fines of 250 euros for sitting on the steps and up to 400 euros for dirtying or damaging them, including eating on them. Check Roma Capitale for the current figures before you go.
What is at the bottom of the Spanish Steps?+
The Fontana della Barcaccia, an early Baroque fountain built in 1627 to 1629 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, per Wikipedia. The house where the poet John Keats lived and died in 1821 stands in the corner on the right and is now a museum.
