Keats-Shelley Memorial House

About the museum

The house at Piazza di Spagna 26, beside the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti (Spanish Steps), is the building where the English poet John Keats spent the last hundred days of his life. The apartment, on the second floor, has remained largely unchanged since 1725.

The building was saved from demolition in 1906 and opened to the public as a museum and library in 1909. It is supported and run by the Keats Shelley Memorial Association, a charity based in the United Kingdom, which preserves the memory of the young British Romantic poets and supports research and new generations of writers.

The museum holds manuscripts, works of art and personal objects connected with Keats, Shelley and the other young Romantic poets who stayed in Rome. The house is also a library and a place for literary gatherings, with events, readings and lectures; each year the association also organises the Keats Shelley Writing Prizes. In December 1941 the war reached Piazza di Spagna and the house too.

Highlights

• The rooms where Keats spent his last hundred days
• Manuscripts, works of art and personal objects of the Romantic poets
• Library dedicated to the English Romantics
• Location at the foot of the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti

Founded

1909

Operated by

Keats Shelley Memorial Association

Visitors per year

approx. 25,000

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for ICOM members; proof of entitlement to the rate may be requested. Visitors who go to both the Keats Shelley House and the Casa di Goethe within three days receive €1 off the second museum (also on the reduced ticket), by showing the first ticket or receipt.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The historic building has remained largely unchanged since 1725 and some areas are not accessible. The museum is on the second floor and is reached by 39 steps; there is no lift. Once on the museum floor, wheelchair users and people with crutches can visit it, and there are seats along the route. Large-print versions of the captions and panels of the permanent collection are available at the ticket office; for blind or partially sighted visitors the curatorial team can arrange an introductory visit on request. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are admitted. Written information is available for deaf visitors; no sign-language interpreter is provided.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at the foot of the Trinità dei Monti steps, not far from the Trevi Fountain and Villa Borghese.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit