Dont miss it, but be careful
This is a wonderful place to see early in the morning. My 10 yr old daughter and I spent a little time at the base of the steps. There were alot of younger people there (went in March 2007). But it is well worth the time to sit and watch people from all over the world come together. The week after we left, some people tried to carve their names in the fountain at the base of the steps. It's been there for a long time and I know they charged them, so I am happy it's not ruined. Later on in the day it can get pretty crowded, so the earlier in the day is better. They are horse carriages there to offer to ride you around the piazza, not sure how much it costs, but the horses had beautiful head decorations on them. I had to take a few pics of them to remember them by. Took a wonderful pic of my daughter (when she didn't realize it of course, she is 10 and a little pill) she was sitting on the steps at the bottom (which we found out was not allowed) with gummy worms hanging out of her mouth....there was a little street vendor selling candy and hot chesnuts in the piazza and she HAD to have some. Great place to take pictures, beautiful balcony and terraces with lots of flowers. We missed the azaleas by a week or so, but it was still a breathtaking sight.