I stayed in one of Rome’s most crowded tourist spots – and loved it

The Spanish Steps is one of the busiest corners of one of the busiest tourist cities in one of the world’s most-visited nations. All day and evening tourists surge aimlessly up and down, as if wondering what they’re supposed to do.

The Spanish Steps and the crowds.Credit: iStock

Some sit exhausted on the steps to eat sandwiches, but will be moved on if police happen by. Others snap selfies using long sticks. Yet others in improbable fashions strike poses for social-media posts.

Like everyone, there are times when I bemoan overtourism, but sometimes I just have to embrace it, and where better than on these whimsical steps, fronted by a baroque fountain and topped by a 16th-century twin-towered church?

All these surging visitors are harmless enough. They’re out in the sun, freed from routine and work, and excited about being in Italy. They chatter and hold hands and kiss and pose. Surely this celebration of life shouldn’t be bemoaned.

If you want a light-hearted, lively and lovely corner of Rome to stay in, the Spanish Steps beckon. You’re right in the capital’s most elegant shopping district, centred on Via dei Condotti, though if you’re a fashionista you shouldn’t miss Via Borgognona and Via Frattina, either.

Escape the masses at the Villa Borghese.Credit: iStock

You can walk to the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona and (if you’re a hearty walker at least) 2.2 kilometres to the Colosseum too. More esoteric sights are nearby, such as the Keats-Shelley house, the great sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s house, and Rome’s oldest coffeehouse, Antico Caffe Greco.

And even here, in this busy Roman district, you can escape into the vast green space of the nearby Villa Borghese gardens, and find one of Europe’s best art museums, Galleria Borghese, particularly unmissable if you’re a fan of Caravaggio.

In the evenings, I walk down the busy streets towards Piazza del Popolo, with its twin churches and obelisk. Crowds surge with me, but so what? I can stickybeak on the world and every nation’s tourist habits.

If you head up to Il Pincio viewpoint, which looks over Piazza del Popolo, you’ll find one of the best views in Rome. Sometimes you need only take a short walk from overcrowded places to find something new and not-so-crowded.

On a terrace at the oasis that is Hotel Hassler Roma.Credit:

These are my tips for places supposedly swamped by tourists. Give in to the liveliness and enjoy it. Do some research, and you’ll always find something off-beat, and more tranquil too. Ask a good concierge for tips: mine at Hotel Hassler Roma knows the neighbourhood restaurants where Romans eat.

Which brings me to my third tip: find a good hotel in the middle of the action, yet one that provides a tranquil oasis at day’s end. People splurge on flight upgrades and shopping, but you can’t beat a well-placed hotel.

Right at the top of the Spanish Steps, the admittedly expensive Hotel Hassler Roma is one of Rome’s last luxury hotels still in family hands, endearingly old-fashioned but frequently refreshed. Its bar and spa are the latest of its facilities to undergo an upgrade.

I plough up the busy Spanish Steps and slip into the cool peace of a lobby gleaming in mahogany and polished brass. Rooms are eyries with views across the popping monuments of Rome, peaceful in the sunset as the busyness continues beneath.

But there’s another place to be at sunset. Sister property Il Palazzetto, which has just four guestrooms, sits almost next door, right on the edge of the Spanish Steps. From the cocktail bar you watch the world come and go.

Rooftop views from Hotel Hassler Roma.

I raise my Campari spritz to the enthusiasm of tourists. After all, I’m one myself. I’ve been up and down the Spanish Steps a dozen times, and find myself in a happy place.

The details

Stay
Hassler Roma sits at the top of the Spanish Steps and has astonishing views over central Rome. The Leading Hotels of the World member has a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant with fabulous views across Rome, and a very chic spa. From €993 ($1750) a night. See lhw.com

Fly
Emirates flies from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to Rome via Dubai. See emirates.com

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The writer stayed as a guest of Leading Hotels of the World.