Hidden Gems of ROME : Spanish Steps Neighborhood

it's only called the spanish step in english one of my favorite views of rome dude get out of here when i was here with my guide on the roam in a day tour which covers all the facts and you hear all of the stories the spanish steps are an iconic landmark located in piazza di espana once you see and experience them you should know that there is so much to do in this neighborhood today i'll give you the formula to have an authentic experience in one of the most touristy neighborhoods in rome after exploring the rich history of an underrated church and a local favorite view of rome stay tuned for my recommendations of where i love to eat and drink with my local friends it's gonna be good times and have an exquisite meal you will not forget next level for sure today i'm exploring all the things you should see and do near the spanish steps to balance out the tourist energy of the spanish steps i stayed at the luxurious hotel eden just a few minutes away it's an elegant property that offers peaceful views of the city in a graceful setting that exudes roman hospitality since the days of frederico fellini and la dolce vita this hotel has been a favorite of hollywood celebrities the hotel eden did not pay us to be in this video i just loved my stay there if you're looking for a hotel in rome we have plenty of suggestions on our blog for every major neighborhood in rome including the spanish steps for more information check out the links in the description below or simply google where to stay in rome by the tour guide the hotel eden is not only near the spanish steps it's also near the biggest square in rome and that's where i'm starting off my morning today one of the must-see squares in rome is only about a 10 minute walk away from piazza di espana it's called piazza del popolo and you should probably plan to spend about an hour here in this square you'll see the iconic twin churches and the famino obelisk which is one of the largest of rome's 13 obelisks the statues of the lion making a fountain create a great instagram spot in piazza del popolo you'll also see the namesake church santa maria del copolo while the church is loved by history geeks like me it shot to international stardom and global acclaim with dan brown's angels and demons where it was heavily featured the interior of santa maria del popolo is something you should not miss i feel it's one of the best art history classrooms in the city so let's check it out being inside of this chapel santa maria de popolo is like an art history classroom because it doesn't look like much on the outside but you get into this chapel and you have two caravaggios i mean that is saint paul literally at his come to jesus moment he's fallen off his horse on the road to damascus and just the lighting on saint paul here and the musculature of the horse the darkness is just you know it's it'll take your breath away for sure and on the opposite side you have the other caravaggio you have st peter who is traditionally believed to be crucified upside down and look at the pain and st peter is shown as an old man here and just the process that he's going through is extremely extremely painful and it's it's very dramatic but both of these caravaggios are very very dramatic so in santa maria de popolo you have caravaggio you have bernini you have raphael i mean it's it's a true classroom if you love history as much as i do and want to learn more from a passionate licensed guide check out our room tours in the description links below to be honest there are a lot of touristy restaurants near the spanish steps but there are a few standouts today for lunch i'm headed to a classic roman restaurant that has been serving food for 500 years and honestly doesn't miss because they are very consistent with their food quality [Applause] [Music] la campana campana it is about 500 years old the place started in 1558 and i'm ordering the most classic roman dishes so i got pasta and cacho e pepe two dishes that you definitely have to try and if you're in this neighborhood you want to try them right here at ala campana you got some really nice pieces of caramelized guanciale pecorino cheese tomato sauce [Music] is just spectacular and uh if you do a quick turnaround shop you'll see uh the chef trying to get my hahaha i'm trying to get my fruit bowl got to me le bono say okay here's the kacho pepe perfect perfect balance of flavors and that's what these dishes are they're very simple simple ingredients but it's all how you balance the flavor in the cooking technique that makes these extraordinary and worth traveling to rome for for sure if you like this video so far go ahead and give us a like comment and subscribe that way we can keep making you great content [Music] definitely take a moment to stroll down one of the most famous streets in rome called viacandotti the akondoti gets its name from the water conduit that carried water to the nearby baths of agrippa today it's one of the richest commercial streets in rome if not the world it has every major luxury brand on the street including the who's who of italian designers traffic is restricted so you'll only see taxis and deliveries happening here so you can take your time having a passajatta and window shopping [Music] i definitely take a moment to walk down viacondoti here because this is where all of the luxury shops are it runs perpendicular to via del corso which there's more shops there but in my opinion the reason you want to walk up and down the street is because it runs right into the spanish steps [Music] at the bottom of the spanish steps you'll see a festive little fountain that is sort of beautiful and strange at the same time it's a baroque fountain of a boat built directly at the foot of the steps that add a great little sort of magic to the area the fountain was designed and constructed by pietro bernini with the help of his son john lorenzo the story is that in 1598 a massive flood caused the tiber to overflow which caused a boat from the river to be carried all the way to piazza de espana when the waters retreated the boat remained there in the square so when pietro bernini received the commission from pope urban viii he used a boat as his inspiration like many other fountains in rome the water that powers this fountain comes from an ancient aqueduct in this case it's the aqua virgin aqueduct which was built in 19 bc and runs near this area so as you're enjoying the spanish steps think of the fact that there is still water coming into this area two thousand years later the star attraction of course is the spanish steps but there is something that i learned from my guide that blew my mind i was told that it's only called the spanish steps in english in italian it's called scalinata de la trinita de monte which is the church right behind me so that's the holy trinity church of monte and these are the scalinata so not really the spanish steps but it is next to the spanish embassy and that is interesante if you're a fan of literature you might be familiar with the keats shelley house right on the spanish steps you can visit this decorated home that contains paintings manuscripts and literary works not only by keats but also by his famous friends such as lord byron oscar wilde and elizabeth and robert browning keats famously died in the home at the very young age at 25 skyrocketing him to fame you're probably wondering if you can sit on the spanish steps the answer is unfortunately no as of july 8th 2019 you're no longer allowed to sit on the spanish steps and if anyone is caught sitting eating or drinking they are fined up to 400 euros so the santissima trinitade monti is the crowning jewel of the spanish steps just like the villa medici next door it is owned by the french because the church was originally commissioned by king louis xii but wasn't finished until pope sixtus v came along and the church opened its doors in 1585 it's a beautiful church with two twin bell towers on one side there's a traditional clock and on the other side you have a meridian calendar [Music] about a hundred meters from the spanish steps as you walk up via de la trinita you'll see a building that looks completely out of place that's because it's the villa medici of the famous dynasty from florence the facade looks completely florentine as opposed to roman the rear of the palace looks like it could be somewhere in france due to its glorious architecture and gardens the estate is owned by the french government now and you can easily take a tour or even spend the night that's right you can spend the night in the villa medici so we put a link in the description below so be sure to check that out or simply google where to stay in rome the tour guide so from santisi matrinita church there's this walkway that takes you next to the villa medici all the way to the pinchot which is where i want to take you next because it's probably one of the most romantic spots in all of rome really great look out so if you have a a partner or a loved one or you just want a cool place to catch your breath in rome go to the pin show with me come on one of my favorite spots in rome that you definitely don't want to miss is called il pincho now i'm a sucker for viewpoint and a romantic but it honestly doesn't get much better than this situated on top of piata del popolo at the edge of villa borghese and the views from here not only overlook the largest city square in rome but you can see the twin churches below along with the flaminian gate of rome and clear views of saint peter's basilica in the distance one of my favorite views of rome [Music] one of my favorite desserts on the planet is tiramisu and pompey is widely regarded as the best tiramisu in rome so like a true roman i'm gonna skip dessert at my restaurant and head to pompey to pick up a dessert for takeaway tell me should i go for the classic tiramisu or should i experiment and maybe get the pistachio my favorite one is the show but it's your first time let's start with the classic so pompey is recognized as one of the best tiramisus in rome i think very few romans would argue so they come in these cute little takeaway cardboard boxes a couple of euros and you got your own little roadie of tiramisu oh yeah that is the money right there so creamy so light so good this is the money having an appetivo in rome is something you don't want to miss so i'm sitting down for an italian happy hour of drinks and some snacks with my buddy manu at the trendy ile marquez bar so it is a peritivo time here near the spanish steps and due to manu's recommendation we're here at marquez having some cocktails i'm having this beautiful manhattan style drink and manu is having a fancy cocktail yeah it looks like a soup but it's actually a really good coffee yeah with rum and a whole bunch of amazing things inside it's yours that's where you've been it's really good yeah yeah mine is mine is amazing thank you so that's the if you love cocktails and food or just love eating like i do check out our food tours listed in the description below for dinner tonight i'm taking it easy and heading back to my hotel now that may seem less adventurous but i actually fell in love with hotel eden when i first came here for lunch many years ago they have two restaurants on property with a view one of them has a michelin star called la terrazza tonight i'm having dinner at il giordano restaurante on there as well it's a magical creamy cheesy but delicate experience [Music] certainly savory and the lamb is seared so it has a little bit of a crunch and brings a saltiness to this dish that is absolutely necessary because the pumpkin is already naturally sweet [Music] very nicely done i'm angel castillanos for the tour guide it's been a fantastic day exploring this neighborhood of rome please comment like and subscribe and don't forget to hit that bell so you can find our next video [Music] and i learned that the stairs are actually called sun testing testing so evidently people are allowed to hang out on these stairs but not the other ones so be careful

Channel: The Tour Guy

Views: 59,804

Keywords: Spanish Steps, The Tour Guy, Best Tours, Best Places in Rome, Best Neighborhood in Rome, Rome Neighborhood, Best Food, Top Tours in Rome, Vlog, Rome, Italy Travel, Best Travels, Italian Food

Id: 5F0EYLW0fXU

Length: 15min 50sec (950 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 12 2022