Rome - February 27 afternoon

 After our delicious pizza lunch, we wandered over to the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps, where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck eat gelato in the movie Roman Holiday.

This was a popular spot, even on a rainy day.

The church at the top of the steps is called Trinita dei Monti -- which is in Italy, in the Spanish Plaza, but belongs to France. Something like that, anyway.

It is quite beautiful inside, with many frescoes and gilding. My photos don't do it justice.

And in front of the church is another obelisk.

 





We climbed to the top of the steps (quite a long way up) and enjoyed the view of the city...

of rooftops, domes and steeples...

 ... and of the street below:

When heading for the Spanish Steps, we didn't exactly take the direct route. 

We opted instead for the scenic route (translation: we got sort of lost!) and ended up down at the Tiber River. 

That was OK, though, as we wanted to see the river anyway, and it was a pleasant walk on the river bank to our real destination.

The scenic route also meant we saw some quaint old churches:

San Spirito in Sassio

San Carlo al Corso

Sacred Heart of Suffrage

Also, as we were walking, I couldn't help noticing all the bell towers. 

Maybe not quite one on every corner, but pretty close. I started taking photos of the different ones. These are some we saw in today's walk.