Who parked the boat in the middle of the square?

Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish square is situated in Rome and is very well known to travellers around the world. Most people remember it by the monumental staircase that is the biggest and the widest staircase in Europe. Other stories about this place include how it was divided between the French and the Spanish; about the triangles on the ground, the connection between the church (Trinita de Monti) and Basilica di San Marco…

My first association about Piazza di Spagna is the Fountain of the old boat, of in Italian ‘Fontana della Bracaccia’. Legends say many different things; how after the great inundation of Rome in 1588 one boat was left stuck in the mud at that exact place or how Pope Urban VIII wanted it installed because he was impressed by some boat that was brought by the river. What really happened was that Rome was, at that time, often flooded by the Tiber river (Tevere) and people had to move around the area in boats. The Romans didn’t like the fountain for a long time because that area in the 17th century belonged to Spain. And today, it is still mostly Spanish (the Embassy, the church, even sculptures dedicated to Spanish saints).

So, who really parked the boat in the middle of the square we don’t know, but it is believed that Pietro Bernini designed the fountain. Pietro Bernini was the son of the famous Bernini that designed the monumental square in front of Basilica di San Marco (Vatican City).

Piazza di Spagna is now flodded with people and tourists taking photos every day throughout the year. During summer many people sit on the stairs resting, soaking up the sun.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Where did the word “bankruptcy” come from?

Some travel stories are told over and over again, by travel guides or books. Some travel stories are told by locals….but other travel stories you don’t hear so often, because there aren’t a lot of people who know them.

They can be about anything or anyone, and even though this title “Where did the word “bankruptcy” come from?” doesn’t sound at first as a travel story, it is. Let me tell it to you, I’m sure you don’t know this one…

In Ancient Greece, bankruptcy didn’t exist. As the time went on, people started gathering on different public places, usually near busiest areas in cities around Europe, especially Italy. That is where they would put their benches, which would represent and be used as their work space. Their job was to lend money. The borrower would return the money in certain amount of time with interests. You can see them as usurers, which they were, but they created a concept from which banks derived.

Of course, since they started individually and had to lend their money, many of them have very quickly found themselves in an unfavorable position – they went bankrupt. In that situation, the precursors of today’s tax collectors would come to their bench and smashed it with an axe. That was your official bankruptcy; you were out of business. Since the Italian word for “bench” is “banca” and for “ruined” “rotta“, that is where the word “bankruptcy”, as you know it today, came from.

It is also believed that the term “banca rotta” was created in this particular street (you can see in the photo) in Rome, Italy. The street is located near Piazza Navona. For ones who want to see it when they visit Rome, or for the ones who know Rome better, it’s located near Via della Pace.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

First Cafe in Europe

Do you know what was the first cafe in Europe? Where did it open and what is the story behind it? If you didn’t, I’m here to tell you about it…

The first cafe in Europe was, and still is, Cafe Pedrocchi. You probably already recognized it’s located in Italy by its name. But some of you may suppose it’s in Rome, maybe Venice…but it’s not. It is in Padua.

This is Cafe Pedrocchi from the back, right from the building with gotic arches, the one with doric order.

Tourist agencies usually combine Padua and Verona, since they are close, as one trip and leave less than a day in Padua. But that doesn’t mean that is anything less worth the visit. There is the inevitable statue of venetian knight Gattamelata by Donatello, Donatello’s house (he lived in Padua), Basilica di St Antonio di Padua with the oldest Magnolia tree in Europe in the court of the monastry….

Cafe Pedrocchi is a result of bringing together two incredible talents; the ones of Antonio Pedrocchi and Giuseppe Jappelli. Antonio Pedrocchi inherited a little cafe from his father. In just a few years he succeeded in accomplishing his ideas, combining art and architecture. He invested in an ambitious project of his friend who was an architect – Giuseppe Jappelli. Pedrocchi wanted to create two different places in this amazing neoclassical building. One that would be a cafe, open 24 hours a day and be open to all guests, and another, reserved for “la creme de la creme” of Paduan society. It would be a place where parties and balls were hosted, same as mason and other business meetings. Very exclusive and luxurious.

Antonio Pedrocchi succeeded, he made his dream come true. And even more that a decade later Cafe Pedrocchi is still a successful cafe with the closest philosophy and is well-known as one of the biggest and best cafes in Europe. It really looks amazing when you see it with your own eyes.

It’s incredible how a story always enriches every place…don’t you think? Sometimes it seams like we travel to hear stories…

Stella – European Travelling Advisor