Keats-Shelley House

In 1820 the Romantic poet John Keats made the long voyage from London to Rome. Suffering from tuberculosis, and having been told by doctors that he would not survive another winter in England, he travelled to Italy in the hope that he might recover. But when he rented rooms by the Spanish Steps, he must have known that this would be his last home. By this stage his illness was incurable, and his condition quickly deteriorated. Keats died only a few months later, at the age of 25.
The house where he lived and died is now Keats-Shelley House, a museum dedicated to the life and work of the English Romantic poets. Visiting the tiny bedroom where Keats died is a particularly moving experience. Look up at the ceiling and you’ll see the painted flowers that Keats would have seen from his bed; aware of his impending death, he said that he could already feel the flowers growing over him.

Keats-Shelley House may be small, but for poetry lovers a visit is more like a pilgrimage. As well as having the opportunity to visit the rooms where one of the greatest English writers spent his last days, you can also see original manuscripts of poems and letters by Keats, Shelley and Byron. Curiosities include a mask worn by Byron during the Venetian carnival, and a fragment of Shelley’s jawbone, saved from the flames after his cremation.
Getting there
The nearest metro station is Spagna (line A).