Many fine examples of Dubrovnik Baroque architecture are exquisitely encircled by a particularly Baroque urban structure: the grand staircase that leads from Gundulic Square to the square in front of Collegium Ragusinum and St Ignatius Church completed in 1738.
The designer of the staircase Pietro Passalacqua, a Roman architect, brought in aspects reminiscent of the famous Roman staircase leading from Piazza di Spagna to Trinità dei Monti Church. The staircase also reflects the modern attitude to and interpretation of the architecture and urban planning consciously created in Baroque style typical for that part of the Old Town that was also meant to emphasize the prominent position of the Jesuit College and church.
Today, at the bottom of the stairs, you can enjoy the fresh produce brought from neighbouring villages to market, and if you happen to be there when the clock tower strikes noon, don’t think you are part of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds remake, it’s just the pigeons coming to eat the grain provided to them at the same hour each day.
