Tiber Island sits in the middle of the river, shaped like a long, narrow boat with stone embankments that trace its prow and stern. Ancient Romans believed the island formed when the grain harvest of the expelled King Tarquin the Proud was…
Trastevere Alleyways and Churches
This walk takes you across ancient stone bridges and through the ivy-draped, cobblestone lanes of Trastevere to find its quiet medieval churches and lively local squares.
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1. Tiber Island
2. Piazza in Piscinula
The Piazza in Piscinula centers on the Casa dei Mattei, a thirteenth-century building marked by its asymmetrical brick facade and a stone archway embedded directly into the wall. This small square served as the stronghold for the Mattei…
3. Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
The brick campanile of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere rises above the surrounding neighborhood, marking the site where a young noblewoman was martyred in the third century. According to tradition, the church stands directly over the remains…
4. San Francesco a Ripa Church
The plain brick facade of San Francesco a Ripa hides a long, narrow nave that holds one of the most intense sculptures in Rome. Saint Francis of Assisi stayed in a tiny cell connected to this site when he visited the city in the early…
5. Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere wears a golden facade of thirteenth-century mosaics that glitter even on overcast Roman afternoons. Legend says a fountain of oil miraculously sprang from this spot on the day Christ was born,…
6. Piazza Trilussa
The Fontana dell'Acqua Paola sits against the slope of the Janiculum Hill, marked by its massive triumphal arch and marble columns. Pope Paul the Fifth ordered the structure built in sixteen twelve to terminate the restored Trajan…