COVE

Despite both its name, as well as its history as the center of Spanish life during the Baroque period—the Palazzo di Spagna serving as Spain’s embassy to the Holy See—the Piazza di Spagna and its environs, referred to by the locals as the “ghetto de l’inglesi” (“English ghetto”), grew into a frequently traversed and popular gathering spot for English Grand Tour visitors and British expatriates in the 19th century. The view from the Piazza di Spagna at the base of the scalinata (staircase) looking up toward the Church of Trinità dei Monti was favored by tourists who would commission souvenir portrait paintings—and later, photographs—of themselves in front of the immediately recognizable site. The building flanking the southern base of the Spanish Steps and just east of the Piazza di Spagna was the home of John Keats, who died there in 1821 of complications from tuberculosis.