Are the French really trying to lay claim to Rome’s iconic Spanish Steps? Well, not quite, but there is a bit of drama brewing. It all started when France’s Court of Auditors looked into the financial management of France's vast property holdings in the Eternal City, which include five churches and numerous other properties. And they discovered “numerous and evident shortcomings” in the management of assets worth billions of euros, including the famous Trinità dei Monti church and, by association, the Spanish Steps.
Although it is technically owned by the Vatican, and France isn’t exactly demanding ownership of the Spanish Steps, some Italians have taken this opportunity to accuse the French of eyeing one of Rome’s most treasured landmarks. But there are Italian politicians who are taking it tongue-in-cheek, with one joking that Italy should send experts to the Louvre to “inventory” all the art France took from Italy over the centuries. Touché!
Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor
