There’s 135 of them, they were paid for by a French diplomat, they’re called the Spanish Steps (because the Spanish Embassy’s at the bottom), but they’re one of the glories of Rome. How to adorn a steep hill in the center of the city had long been a ferocious debate which got resolved when in 1725 Étienne Gueffier bequeathed 20,000 scudi for their construction. Symbolically they were meant to celebrate peace between France and Spain. They’ve been featured in the movies, Roman Holiday, The Girl Who Knew Too Much and The Talented Mr Ripley, on TV, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Everybody Loves Raymond and in F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, Tender is the Night. In 2007, a drunk tried to drive a Toyota Celica down the Steps. Luckily nobody was hurt, but several of the steps were scuffed and driver got arrested. My brief history with them has nothing to do with any of that.
© 2024 John Oliver
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