Azaleas return to the Spanish Steps in time-honoured spring tradition.
Rome’s Spanish Steps landmark, the 18th-century staircase linking Piazza di Spagna with the church of Trinità de’ Monti, is once again decorated with hundreds of azalea plants.
The azaleas will remain in place for about a month – depending on the weather – and once the plants cease flowering they are returned to the city nurseries until next spring.
Visitors can admire two varieties of azaleas: the white Spanish azalea and the Phoenician azalea.
The time-honoured spring tradition dates back to the start of the 1930s.
The original location for the infiorata was in Villa Aldobrandini park before the tradition became a permanent spring fixture at Piazza di Spagna in 1952.
The plants are cultivated in Rome’s nurseries at San Sisto, on the slopes of the Coelian hill, where azaleas have flourished for around a century.
Another popular spring tradition in Rome is the city’s municipal rose garden, or Roseto Comunale, which is open for free every day until 14 June.
Photo Wanted in Rome, 20 April 2025.
