Rome, Trastevere Area – Rome’s New Popular Tourist Attraction

Intro – Trastevere Area is famous for its restaurants, pubs, movie theaters, and nightlife. In the evening, all of the cafes and restaurants tables spill out over to the pavement, especially in the area of Santa Maria Square in Trastevere. The morning here has instead a unique and antique charm mainly due to Trastevere’s narrow cobbled alleyways.

The Area – Trastevere is located on the right bank of the Tiber river. Its name comes from “Trans Tiberem” (across the Tiber) and it was once perceived as a precarious area.

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.

Later, during the wealthy Imperial Age, some luxury villas and gardens were built on the hillside of Trastevere, i.e. Clodia (which was said to be Catullus’ “friend”)lived here, and Julius Caesar as well (his garden villa was called ‘the Horti Caesaris’). Houses of the poor people and small shops settled in the flat land below, some of which are still there today!

Trastevere grew in a network of small, curly streets in the Middle Age because of structures on the front of buildings that left no space for carriages to pass.This is why a strong contrast between large houses for rich people and small houses for poor people are still creating such a contrast.

The streets had no pavement until the end of the 1400s. At first bricks were used, later replaced by sampietrini (cobble stones), which make up the famous narrow maze streets today.

The oldest church in the area is Santa Maria in Trastevere (probably among the firsts to host an open ceremony). Santa Maria is indeed the queen of all churches of the area and immediately became the focus point for devotion to the Virgin by its people. It is said that this church Mother of God was worshiped in Rome. In the Square there is an Octagonal fountain that today is a meeting point. The neighbourhood still has its own medieval character and the many changes occurred in the recent years haven’t changed it a lot.

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 also where the John Cabot American University is. The American Academy in Rome is here as well, 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.

Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum (Musica Elettronica Viva group), famous American musicians, lived here in the 60s and 70sin Via della Luce. Sergio Leone (director of Spaghetti Westerns) grew up in Viale Glorioso (a marble plaque to his memory is on the wall of the apartment building).

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