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 lays on the right bank of the Tiber. It was called "Trans Tiberem" (across the Tiber) and it was considered 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
No doubt that Trastevere is 'the place to be' in Rome!
The Area - Trastevere is the district that lays on the right bank of the Tiber. It was called "Trans Tiberem" (across the Tiber) and it was considered 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
No doubt that Trastevere is 'the place to be' in Rome!
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