Trastevere Area in Rome
Intro – All year round Trastevere is a major attraction for its restaurants, cabaret clubs, movie theaters, arts and craft artisans and picutesque maze of narrow cobbled alleyways. Everywhere during the evenings, cafe and restaurants tables spill out over to the pavement, one area in particular is around Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. During the morning hours, is better to appreciate the antique charm of Trastevere’s unique 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 belonged to the Etruscans until Rome conquered it again and get back in control of both banks of the river. “Pons Sublicius” bridge (from Latin: “bridge built on piles”) was the only one way from Trastevere to the city (Rome). With the Emperor Augustus this area soon began to be considered part of the city.
In 509 A.C. during the ‘Roman Republic’ era, many sailors and fishermen moved into this area to live, and chose Trastevere as their residence.
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 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.
Up until 1400 Trastevere streets had no pavement, later bricks were used and then replaced by sampietrini (cobble stones).
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.
Today this area still has its own style due to the narrow cobbled streets built in the medieval era. At night, both italians and tourists gather together around its many restaurants and pubs. Trastevere is attracting tourists, locals, artists, foreign expats, and many famous people and it is incredibly charming.
This is where John Cabot American University, The American Academy, the Rome campus of the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts and the Canadian University of Waterloo School of Architecture are. Also the American Pratt Institute School of Architecture is serving as a temporary home to an International student body.
In the 60s and 70s, the American musicians Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum (Musica Elettronica Viva group), lived here in Via della Luce. The director of Spaghetti Westerns Sergio Leone, grew up in Viale Glorioso (you will see a marble plaque to his memory on the wall of the apartment building), and went to a Catholic private school in Trastevere.
As you can see Trastevere is the real heart of Rome!
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