In spirit, and in fact, this section of the city is its most grandiose. The overblown Vittoriano monument, the labyrinthine treasure-chest palaces of Rome’s surviving aristocracy, even the diamond-draped denizens of Via Condotti’s shops — all embody the exuberant ego of a city at the center of its own universe.
Here’s where you’ll see ladies in furs gobbling pastries at café tables, and walk through a thousand snapshots as you climb the famous Spanish Steps, admired by generations from Byron to Versace. Cultural treasures abound around here: gilded 17th-century churches, glittering palaces, and the greatest example of portraiture in Rome, Velázquez’s incomparable Innocent X at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. Have your camera ready—along with a coin or two—for that most beloved of Rome’s landmarks, the Trevi Fountain.
Getting Here and Around
One of Rome’s handiest subway stations, the Spagna Metro station is tucked just to the left of the Spanish Steps. Buses No. 117 (from St. John Lateran and the Colosseum) and No. 119 (from Largo Argentina) hum through the neighborhood.
