This French connection tells part of the story of the piazza， for during the time of Louis XIV of France， his advisor， Cardinal Mazarin， proposed a plan to build a monumental staircase up to the church of Trinita de Monti which featured an equestrianequestrian adj.骑马的， 马的， 在马背上的， (古罗马)市民特权阶层成员的， 骑士阶层的 n.骑手 statue of the French king. The plan was obviously not popular with the papacy and it was shelvedshelve vt.置于架子上， 缓议， 搁置， 解雇 vi.倾斜 for a hundred years until finally built without the statue.
The Spanish Steps (as the Scalinata della Trinita， dei Monti is known in English) are a majestic series of three flights of steps that lead up to the impressive doublebelltowered church (before which stands an obelisk). This complex can best be seen from far down Via dei Condotti. In early summer they are sometimes completely covered with flowers of many colours making a delightful sight. In summer the myriad of tourists who come here often just sit on the steps to soak in the atmosphereatmosphere n.大气， 空气， 气氛 and watch the street sellers and the artists who work at the foot of the steps plying their skills.
An intriguing fountain sits not far from the bottom of the steps that always has people around it puzzling over its peculiarities. This is la Fontana della Barcaccia which is set very low， almost at street level， in order to function with the low water pressurepressure n.压， 压力， 电压， 压迫， 强制， 紧迫 that arrives there. By why a fountain in the shape of a small boat？ In 1588 Rome suffered one of its not infrequent inundations when the Tevere can no longer hold all the water that washes down the river. It was devestating and many people lost their homes. When the waters subsided there was left a small flatbottomed boat in the mud (which had been used to rescue people and move possessions)， a symbol of the efforts to survive the floods. It was this that inspired Pietro Bernini， and his son Gian Lorenzo， to construct this wonderful fountain.
In the southern part of the piazza there is a column that was erected in 1856 to commemoratecommemorate vt.纪念 the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception proclaimed by Pius IX. The column， found under a monastery in 1777， is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary， and rests on a base that features statues of the prophets Moses， David， Isaiah and Ezekiel. The pope comes here every year on December 8th to celebrate the Immaculate ConceptionImmaculate Conception n. (宗)圣灵感孕说，无沾成胎说.
The column stands in front of the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide which features a facade that faces the piazza by GL Bernini and， down the street to the right， another marvelous facade designed (1662) by Francesco Borromini that displays those elements consistently employed by Borromini to maintain fluidity of his buildings： where one is used to straight walls he uses gentle curves to break the line， windows of varying shapes， pilasters to break up the length. This is a narrow street and walking along it will bring out the beauty of Borromini，s work.
Also at this end of the piazza is a very discretely decorated MacDonald，s， so discrete that if it weren，t for the droves of people who go there you would never notice this little corner of America！ When the concessionconcession n.让步 first started up there was quite a reaction from certain elements of the Roman community， who demonstrated outside giving away free plates of pasta. It，s now an integral part of the scene， as are numerous other concessions.
The Roman Forum
古罗马广场
古罗马广场( Foro Romano)是古罗马时代的建筑遗址，曾经是古罗马帝国的经济和政治中心。现在古老的建筑多数成了废墟，游客只好想像昔日罗马建筑的辉煌。主要的遗迹有由罗马皇帝哈德良(Hadrian)设计的维纳斯神庙遗址，提度凯旋门，马森奇奥殿(Basilica di Massenzio)遗址，罗慕洛神庙(Tempio di Romolo)，安东尼诺和佛斯提纳神殿(Tempio di Antonino e Faustina)，维斯塔神殿(Tempio di Vesta) ，塞维鲁凯旋门(Arco Di Settimio Severo)及砖造建筑物元老院(Curia)。
它最初的显着纪念物大概出现于公元前7世纪，即最早几个伊特鲁里亚国王的统治期间。
随着帝国的繁荣昌盛，所有反映城市的、宗教的以及政治生活的建筑物开始在广场上积聚起来。贵族住宅、商店、神殿和市场互相争夺空间，商人、政治家和皇帝也争先恐后地在这个地区建造比以前更壮观的纪念物。
到了2世纪，建筑的混乱现象沿着自然的轨迹发展，主要是由于所有的空间都被占用了。尽管政治权力中心转向帕拉蒂尼山，商贸中心转向图拉真市场，新的建筑物转向帝国广场，但古罗马广场遗址仍是一个重要的象征焦点。
罗马失陷后，时间为它敲响了丧钟。3世纪时，熊熊的大火摧毁了广场，接踵而来的还有地震和5世纪时野蛮侵略者发起的进攻。中世纪时期，这儿的石块被大量地劫掠去盖教堂和宫殿，在建筑工人石灰窑里，珍贵的大理石化为粉末。最后，广场在肆意的掠夺后逐渐转变成了奶牛牧场，从18世纪末至今才陆陆续续得以较连贯的发掘。
The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) was the political and economical centre of Rome during the Republic. It emerged as such in the 7th century B.C.E. and maintained this position well into the Imperial period， when it was reduced to a monumental area. It was mostly abandonedabandoned adj.被抛弃的， 自甘堕落的， 没有约束的， 放荡的 at the end of the 4th century.
The Forum Romanum is located in a valley between the Capitoline Hill on the west， the Palatine Hill on the south， the Velia on the east and Quirinal Hill and the Esquiline Hill to the north. The Velia was levelledlevel n.水平， 水平面， 水准， 标准， 级别 adj.同高的， 平坦的， 齐平的， 水平的 vt.使……水平， 夷平， 使同等， 瞄准， 对准 vi.变平， 拉平 in Antiquity.
The importance of the Forum area is indicated by the presence of many of the central political， religious and judicial buildings in Rome. The Regia was the residence of the kings， and later of the rex sacrorum and pontifex maximus； the Curia， was the meeting place of the Senate； and the Comitium and the Rostra， where public meetings were held. Major temples and sanctuaries in the Forum include the Temple of Castor and Pollux， the Temple of Saturn and the Temple of Vesta. Commercial and judicialjudicial adj.司法的， 法院的， 公正的， 明断的 activities took place in the basilicas， the two remaining are the Basilica Aemilia and the Basilica Julia. Due to the political importance of the area there were also numerous honorary monuments.
Originally the area of the Forum was humidhumid adj.充满潮湿的， 湿润的， 多湿气的 and covered in grass， as it was not suitable for construction. A necropolis has been found， dating from the 10th century B.C.E.， but otherwise the area doesn，t seem to have been used much. This changed in the 7th century with the construction of the Cloaca Maxima. This sewer system was based on a natural stream， which was enclosed and covered to drain the area， a sign that the settlements on the Palatine Hill was spreading into the valley.
