Travel & Leisure Facts and Notes

Intro - Trastevere Area is well known for its restaurants, clubs, theaters, arts and its famous narrow cobbled alleyways. In the evening, all of the cafes and restaurants tables spill out over to the pavement, especially in the area of Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. The morning is better to appreciate the antique charm of Trastevere’s characteristic narrow alleyways.

The Area - Trastevere is the district that stretches along the right bank of the Tiber. Once called “Trans Tiberem” (across the Tiber) was looked upon as a precarious region.

It was said to belong to the Etruscans. Rome conquered it again and gained control and access to the river from both banks. Only one passageway was available through the small “Pons Sublicius” bridge (from Latin: “bridge built on piles”) between Trastevere and the rest of the city (Rome). During the Emperor Augustus Trastevere began to be considered part of the city.

At the time of the ‘Roman Republic’, many sailors and fishermen moved here, and chose Trastevere as their home.

Then, during the Imperial Age, on the top of Trastevere hill rich romans built some luxury villas and gardens. For example Clodia (which was said to be Catullus lover) lived here, and Julius Caesar with his garden villa called ‘the Horti Caesaris’ lived here. The flat land below was used to be home for poor people and small.

Trastevere grew in the middle ages with narrow, winding, irregular streets; due to the mignani (structures on the front of buildings) there was no space for carriages to pass, therefore Trastevere remained a maze of narrow streets. This mix caused a strong contrast between the large, lavish houses of the upper classes and the small, ramshackle houses of the poor.

Up until 1400 Trastevere streets had no pavement, later bricks were used and then replaced by sampietrini (cobble stones).

Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches in Rome and probably the first to ever host an open ceremony. This is the queen of all churches in Trastevere and soon became the meeting point for devotion to the Virgin Mary by its people. It is believed that perhaps it was in this church Mother of God was worshiped in Rome. In Santa Maria in Trastevere Square there is an Octagonal fountain that today is a gathering point. Many modifications altered the church in the years but despite of the 18th century additions, it still retains its medieval character.

Nowadays, Trastevere maintains its character thanks to its narrow cobbled streets built in the medieval era. At night, both natives and tourists alike gather together around its many pubs and restaurants. The unique character of this neighborhood has become quite popular attracting tourists, locals, artists, foreign expats, and many famous people. This friendly area is strongly connected with the local community.

The area is home to John Cabot University, a private American University. Also to the American Academy in Rome, and the Rome campus of the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. The Canadian University of Waterloo School of Architecture (between the months of September and December), and the American Pratt Institute School of Architecture therefore serving as a temporary home to an International student body.

In the sixties and seventies, the American musicians/composers Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum, of the group Musica Elettronica Viva, lived in Via della Luce. Sergio Leone, the director of Spaghetti Westerns, grew up in Viale Glorioso (there is a marble plaque to his memory on the wall of the apartment building), and went to a Catholic private school in the neighborhood.

As you can see Trastevere is the real heart of Rome!