Italy has been an attractive tourist destination for centuries. It offers gentle climate, beautiful mountains, picturesque sceneries, gorgeous coastline, and vibrant, historically and culturally rich cities, such as Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan to name only the four most popular tourist destinations in Italy. The capital city Rome is perhaps the most generous as far as monuments, museums and squares. By the seventeenth century, Piazza di Spagna was already famous throughout Europe. Piazza di Spagna – The Spanish Square – was named in honor of the Spanish ambassador whose residence was located nearby. In fact, in the beginning only half of it was named in honor of the Spanish whereas the other half was entitled Piazza di Francia – the French Square, again a tribute to the French sovereigns who were responsible for building the impressive cathedral Trinita dei Monti atop the Spanish stairs. Even in those days the square was among the most famous places in Europe with many visitors coming to see it every year. In fact, most celebrities of that era had visited the square at least once, with many finding it as a perpetual source of inspiration. The list of names is very long, but in order to get a general idea, I will name only a few: Rubens, Stendhal, Byron, Wagner, Liszt and Balzac. Also, many of these famous visitors decided to settle in Rome thanks to its abundance of historical references and friendly climate.
             At number 26 one cannot help but notice a beautiful eighteenth century house overlooking the Spanish steps. Located at the right of the Steps, the Keats and Shelley Memorial House is both a historical landmark and a sample of beautiful architecture. Here, English poet John Keats took refuge during the final years of his life while battling tuberculosis which would eventually end his life. Nevertheless, he was not the only Romantic poet to live in Rome. In fact, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley lived in Rome wi...