The Keats-Shelley House in Rome launched a new exhibition to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Spanish Steps. Titled The Spanish Steps, Revisited the exhibition opened on 1 May 2025 and will run until 1 November 2025.
Organised in collaboration with the American Academy in Rome and the British School at Rome, the exhibition examines the 18th-century landmark from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Curators Luca Caddia and Fulvio Chimento, alongside Ella Francesca Kilgallon and Carlotta Minarelli, invited contemporary artists and architects to present alternative visions of the Spanish Steps.
The exhibition displays rare architectural plans and engravings on loan from prestigious collections in Rome and the Vatican, alongside new “revisited” versions of the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti.
Artists contributing to the exhibition include Lex Brown, Michelle Chang, Giuseppe Grant, Sheila Pepe, and the duo Megumi Aihara and Dan Spiegel. Their works offer imaginative responses to the question: if you could redesign the Spanish Steps today, how would you do it?
Completed in 1725, the Scalinata di Trinitá dei Monti have long been a magnet for artists, poets, and visitors. The Keats-Shelley House, located directly beside the steps, was the final home of English poet John Keats, who died there in 1821.
The museum is open from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
