The best time to visit Rome's famous Spanish steps or "Scalinata di Spagna", is in May, when they are decorated with beautiful bright pink azalea flowers.

The Spanish steps and their surroundings are truly stunning. They lead through Rome's Piazza di Spagna to a beautiful French church called Trinita dei Monti. In the 18th century the most beautiful women and men of Italy gathered here, waiting to be chosen as an artist's model.

The Piazza, church and famous Spanish Steps are a popular tourist spot and attract hundreds of foreigners each year. Theoretically you are not meant to eat on the steps, so although it might look like the perfect place for a picnic, it's not! The municipal police are quite strict about this will fine offenders on the spot. It's all aimed at keeping the place pristine after the major clean up and restoration in 1995-1996. If climbing the steps is too much for you, there's a lift to the top outside the Spanish Steps metro station.