Hotel Piazza di Spagna, Rome

It might be considered to be less than poetic justice that two of England's most brilliant poets are not only buried on foreign soil but may be the only poets to whom a memorial house-which is now part of Roman Folklore-has been dedicated in a country other than their own. The two poets in question,John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley,are buried in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome whilst at No 26 Piazza di Spagna(the Spanish Steps),is the Keats-Shelley Memorial House. The hugely talented but very sick John Keats had gone to the Eternal City on account of his health-he suffered from tuberculosis ... more

This house is where Keats lived for the last few month of his life, trying to recover from TB. The house is now a museum, celebrating the life of Keats, Shelley and other writers from the time. The house is situated directly next to the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna) in Rome, but many tourists miss it - the entrance is very discreet, and the exterior of the house is exactly the same as when Keats lived here, so perhaps this is not surprising. The house has a long history of famous architects, writers and artists who lodged here, including George Eliot, Shelley, Byron, the Brownings, Oscar ... more

Piazza di Spagna is one of the most popular tourist spots of Rome; but it is also one of the most beautiful. The thing that sticks in my memory is the long winding staircase that leads down the square which promptly leads to numerous narrow little streets that are home to some of the most exclusive boutiques in Rome, for clothes as well as souvenirs. You'll find most of shop assistants speak English, but they do like it if you try a bit of Italian. Even though most people except the Japanese venture into stores like Fendi and Versace, it really is pleasant to spend an hour wandering through ... more

I loved these steps in all the photos i'd ever seen. i couldn't wait to get there. In the end my husband, two kids and I arrived at them from the top and had hurried down them (through the hoards of people) before we realised where we were. It was July and there were no flowers. Neither was there any sign of there ever being any. I would be very interested to hear if anyone has actually seen flowers, apart from in pictures. Having said all that, when we realised where we were, we sat down and enjoyed people watching from a free seat, for quite a while. It was lovely. A real hive of activity. I ... more

This is supposed to be a very beautiful place. But unfortunately for me when I went it was a rainy season and it was not so great. I had great expectations as I saw beautiful pictures of the Spanish Steps with pink flowers decorating the steps. But I think because of the rain nothing was there and it was just steps minus the beauty. I would advise people not to visit here in January - when I went. May be the best time is the summer where I think all the flower decorations might be there. Also there where some ongoing building works in January. In the daytime its ofcourse a good place to sit ... more