Azaleas return to the Spanish Steps this spring.

Rome's Spanish Steps, 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 time-honoured spring tradition, which was interrupted in 2020 during Italy's covid-19 lockdown, dates back more than 80 years.

The azaleas are back on the Spanish Steps for the annual 'infiorata.'
We can't wait for them to bloom!#SpanishSteps pic.twitter.com/yrqd2sb7rO

— Keats-Shelley House (@Keats_Shelley) April 13, 2023

The plants are cultivated in Rome’s nurseries at S. Sisto where azaleas have flourished for around a century.

Once the plants cease flowering they are returned to the city nurseries until next spring.