Spanish Steps novel, "Tender Is the Night". The Steps are featured in Anthony Burgess's 1977 novel, "Abba Abba". Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps () are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. The monumental stairway of 174 steps (the slightly elevated drainage system is often mistaken for the first step) was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 "scudi", in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinità dei Monti church
The Family of Philip V (1723) The Family of Philip V (1723) The Family of Felipe V is an oil on canvas painting by the French artist Jean Ranc completed in 1723. It features depictions of Philip V of Spain and his family. The painting is one of a trio of paintings that bear the same name; the other two are by Louis Michel van Loo and are dated 1738 and (a larger version) 1743. Ranc was a French painter, mainly active in portraiture. He trained under his father Antoine Ranc and his father's former student Hyacinthe Rigaud. He served at the courts of both Louis