Italy Trip 17

Next stop on my little foray around the Eternal City was the Spanish Steps (or Piazza di Spagna). I don't really know the historical significance of this place, but there is a statue of Columbus nearby (though he was Italian, but sailing for the Spanish). Anyway, it's another clearly popular spot for the tourists as you can tell from the crowd:

At the bottom of the steps is a fountain, pictured here, where I sat down to rest my already very tired feet (this was still in the morning, after already visiting the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Traiano Forum of earlier posts):

You can see my weary, but satisfied expression in this shot:

Here's a view from the top of the steps, looking back down into the Piazza where the fountain is (though you can't really see it from this angle):

At the top of the steps is a big church, and outside are vendors, mostly dealing in artworks. There's a lot of foot traffic from the tourists, so I'm guessing these guys make a pretty decent living:

After climbing back down the steps, I rested and plotted my next move. This is the direction I was headed, north toward the Piazza del Popolo:

More next time-- I've still got more than half a day to share of the trip.