Trinità dei Monti Religious Site

Address: Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

Trinità dei Monti is a Renaissance church located at the top of the Spanish Steps in central Rome. The church dates from the 16th century and is visually prominent above Piazza di Spagna.

The site is visited for its architecture and for the viewpoints it provides over the Piazza and the high-fashion Via dei Condotti below. The church and the steps form a single popular urban ensemble, with the stairway comprising 135 steps between the church and the square.

Historically the church has strong French connections and was built and furnished in phases during the Renaissance and Baroque periods; it remains an active place of worship and a fixed point on tourist routes through central Rome.

The church and steps sit in the historic centre of Rome, adjacent to Via dei Condotti and a short walk from other central landmarks such as the Keats-Shelley House and the Trevi area.

• Spanish Steps: The church occupies the summit of the Spanish Steps, which consist of 135 steps connecting the church with Piazza di Spagna below.

Trinità dei Monti sits at the head of the Spanish Steps off Piazza di Spagna. From Rome Termini take Metro Line A to Spagna station and walk 5-8 minutes uphill. Many buses stop near Piazza Barberini; from there it is a 10-15 minute walk up Via Sistina or alongside the steps.

• Go up the Spanish Steps from Piazza di Spagna and approach Trinità dei Monti from above - the view back down is the ritual image most visitors miss.
• Visit in the hour before closing to see the light on the façades and to avoid tour groups; the church sometimes closes for services, so check locally.
• Look for the carved stone wear on the topmost steps and the French escutcheons; the church long answered to French royal patronage, which leaves small, surprising details.