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A church, a flight of steps and
a fountain form the most elegant and complex Roman urban
site. Inside the church at the top, are many chapels belonging
to noble Roman families. This is the church of Trinita'
dei Monti, started in 1502 and consacrated eighty years
later, for the will of the French kings who dedicated
it to Saint Francis of Paola. Notice the double ramp staircase
and the twin belltowers. At the beginning the 17th century,
Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Gian Lorenzo, built
for Pope Urban VIII the unusual boat-shaped fountain.
A century later, the third marvel was built to connect
these two works of art: the Staircase of the Trinita'
dei Monti, a wonderful Baroque creation. Built in 1723
by the architect Francesco De Santis, it consists of a
succession of ramps each made up of twelve steps (total
of a hundred and thirty eight steps). Wagner, Liszt, Balzac,
Stendhal, Rubens, Tennyson, Byron e Keats, and many other
different artists loved to live in the sorroundings that
are today crowded with the highest italian fashion boutiques.
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