Rome, Trastevere Area -Rome"s New Popular Tourist Attraction
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 belonged to the hostile Etruscans.
It was conquered again by Rome and gained control and access to the river from both banks.
There was only one passageway through a small wooden bridge called the Pons Sublicius (Latin: 'bridge built on piles') between Trastevere and the rest of the city (Rome).
The area began to be considered part of the city under Augustus, who divided Rome into 14 regions.
During the Republic era in 509, the number of sailors and fishermen making a living from the river had increased, and many had taken up residence in Trastevere.
Later, with the wealth of the Imperial Age, luxury villas and gardens were constructed on the hillside of Trastevere.
To name a few: Clodia, (Catullus' "friend") and Julius Caesar (his garden villa, the Horti Caesaris).
The flat land below was occupied by the houses of the poor and small shops.
Some of which are still there today! 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.
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 church of Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches in Rome, perhaps the first to ever host an open ceremony.
This is the queen of all churches in Trastevere.
This basilica became the focus of 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 the piazza, one can admire the Octagonal fountain which has now become a meeting point.
Along the years the church has been altered with modifications, but despite of the 18th century additions, Santa Maria has retained 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.
Once called 'Trans Tiberem' (across the Tiber) was looked upon as a precarious region.
It belonged to the hostile Etruscans.
It was conquered again by Rome and gained control and access to the river from both banks.
There was only one passageway through a small wooden bridge called the Pons Sublicius (Latin: 'bridge built on piles') between Trastevere and the rest of the city (Rome).
The area began to be considered part of the city under Augustus, who divided Rome into 14 regions.
During the Republic era in 509, the number of sailors and fishermen making a living from the river had increased, and many had taken up residence in Trastevere.
Later, with the wealth of the Imperial Age, luxury villas and gardens were constructed on the hillside of Trastevere.
To name a few: Clodia, (Catullus' "friend") and Julius Caesar (his garden villa, the Horti Caesaris).
The flat land below was occupied by the houses of the poor and small shops.
Some of which are still there today! 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.
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 church of Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches in Rome, perhaps the first to ever host an open ceremony.
This is the queen of all churches in Trastevere.
This basilica became the focus of 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 the piazza, one can admire the Octagonal fountain which has now become a meeting point.
Along the years the church has been altered with modifications, but despite of the 18th century additions, Santa Maria has retained 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.
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