MUSIC
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MUSIC |
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Apartments in this quarter:
Trastevere
(Piazza Ippolito Nievo). A fine two bedroom, sitting / dining r. apartment
Monteverde Vecchio (Via
Pamphili). A fine studio apartment with little garden
You will find the map in the section A3 of the map of Rome. Please go to:
http://www.romanhomes.com/mapgen.htm
Click on section A3, and wait until it downloads. If you want to go directly to the
section A3, please click here.
| The name of Trastevere derives from Latin "Trans Tiber" (across
the Tiber). During the ancient Roman period it was a green neighbourhood belonging to noble families, including that of Julius Caesar. Cleopatra is thought to have lived here. It was still within the walls, and the gates were Porta Portese and Porta San Pancrazio. |
| After the fall of the empire it became a quarter
of Jewish trading communities. In the early Middle Ages the Jews moved to the other side
of the river (the quarter that later became the Ghetto), and Trastevere became the main
working-class district of the capital. The inhabitant boast the quarter as "er core
de Roma" (the heart of Rome). Nowadays it is a picturesque and artistic quarter where the so called "Roma sparita" (the 17th - 19th century "disappeared Rome", with all its lively, authentic relations embedded in human qualities and with a human pace) is still somehow in the air and in everybody's memory, generating a nostalgic attitude. All streets seem to lead to the stunning Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere. |
Santa Maria in Trastevere church and square The Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere (top) is believed to be the oldest one dedicated to the Virgin in Rome. Although the first church was built on the site in the 3rd Century, the present structure was built in the 12th century according to the Romanesque style. The interior decoration are of the baroque period. |
In the quarter there are countless craftsmen shops, art shops and arthouse cinemas. At times it seems that every ground-floor space is a restaurant, a pizzeria, a "piano-bar", a bookshop with attached a cosy bar. In July there is a characteristic popular festival, much attended by tourists and Roman alike, called "Festa de Noantri", which means in Roman slang "Festival for Ourselves".
Poet G. Belli statue |
Church of Santa Maria alla Scala, with the priest cleaning the "scala" (the stairs)... |
There are also beautiful churches, like Santa Maria della Scala (top right), or Santa Cecilia.
During the two centuries before unification (1870) there was a strong tradition of violent rivalry between the "bulli trasteverini" (Trastevere toughs) and the "monticiani" (the boys from Monti). The violent clashes between gangs (an anticipation of West Side Story) were narrated by poet Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli, whose statue now adorns Piazza Belli at the beginning of Viale Trastevere (top left). Presently the quarter is very trendy, and is a desirable place to live for American artists and for many assorted foreigners. Consequently the price of housing is high. Yet the character of the quarter is still visible (right). |
Vicolo del Cinque, Sunday cleaning |
The boisterous character, the fun loving vulgarity and the good-humoured cynicism of the Trasteverini as described by Belli (which are regarded nowadays as typical Roman popular traits) are seemingly kept alive as a cheerful fashion just to impress. Nevertheless one can still find old ladies sitting outside just for the pleasure of watching passers-by while they shell beans, or neighbours chatting to one-another from the windows etc.. The old character is still in the air.
Piazza San Cosimato |
Porta Settimiana, the gate to the Vatican |
Porta Settimiana is the northern gate to the Vatican (top right). It continues with Via della Lungara, paved and widened by Pope Julius II to mirror his Via Giulia on the other bank of the river. The street has some of Rome's most splendid "palazzi", as Villa Farnesina with frescoes of Raphael, the Palazzo Corsini, and the adjacent beautiful Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens). Just after there is Regina Coeli, the medieval prison of Rome, which is bound to be closed.
Above Trastevere there is the Gianicolo, and after it Monteverde Vecchio - top left photo, showing also Piazza San Cosimato where there is a morning food market. The Gianicolo is one of the seven hills of Rome. It can be reached with the tortuous Via Garibaldi, and passing by the splendid baroque Fontana Paola. The view from the Gianicolo is the most spectacular of Rome. The statue-dotted pine tree gardens are dominated by the huge equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, close to which a cannon is fired every day at noon.
| On the other side of Viale (=Avenue) Trastevere
there is a very renowned and popular flee-market. It is called Porta Portese, as its
traditional main entrance is this ancient Roman gate, which is near the Tiber and to the
adjacent ancient port of Rome. It originated as a black market during World War II, and it became very popular just after. Perhaps the most interesting section is the one with antiques, in Piazza and Via Ippolito Nievo. The market is open only on Sunday morning, and the best bargains are achieved early or very late, at closing time which is around 1-1.30 PM. |
Porta Portese flee market: the antique furniture section |
To conclude this presentation, let us remind you that the trasport to the remaining quarters of the "centro storico" is very well orgaized by means of tram 8 in Viale Trastevere (click here to see its photo). It is like a subway actually, as it has own lanes, and is very frequent with many stops along the Viale. It arrives in a few minutes to Largo Argentina, right in the middle of the centre, at walking distance to anywhere.
To visit the immediately adjacent quarters, click on these addresses-URLs:
- The Piazza Navona quarter
- The Campo dei Fiori quarter
- The Jewish quarter
- The Trevi Fountain-Spanish Steps (Piazza
di Spagna)
- The Pantheon quarter
- The Monti-Coliseum quarter
- The Roman Forum
- The Vatican quarter
- The Janiculum
