Designed by an Italian, paid for by the French, named for the Spaniards, occupied by the British, and currently under the sway of American ambassador-at-large Ronald McDonald, the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Spagna) often appear as if they could be an alternate location for the United Nations. The 137 steps were constructed from 1723 to 1725 to link the piazza with important locales above it, including the Pincio and the Villa Mèdici. The beginning of May heralds the world-famous flower show, when the steps are covered with azaleas and photographers, and each July an evening fashion show is held on the steps. When the steps first opened, Romans hoping to earn extra scudi as artists' models flocked to the steps dressed as the Madonna and Julius Caesar. Posers of a different sort abound today, and dressing like a virgin does not seem to be the main objective. Each night, hordes of testosterone-injected adolescent males, along with tipsy foreigners imitating their Italian counterparts, descend on the piazza in search of women