Trastevere () is the 13th '' rione'' of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within

Municipio I Municipio I is an administrative subdivision of the municipality of Rome, encompassing the centre of the city. It was first created by Rome's city council on 19 January 2001 and has a president who is elected during the mayoral elections. On 11 ...

. Its name comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

on a red background, the meaning of which is uncertain.

History

's Regal period (753–509 BC), the area across the Tiber belonged to the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

: the Romans named it ''Ripa Etrusca'' (Etruscan bank). Rome conquered it to gain control of and access to the river from both banks, but was not interested in building on that side of the river. In fact, the only connection between Trastevere and the rest of the city was a small wooden bridge called the ''

Pons Sublicius The Pons Sublicius is the earliest known bridge of ancient Rome, spanning the Tiber River near the Forum Boarium ("cattle forum") downstream from the Tiber Island, near the foot of the Aventine Hill. According to tradition, its construction was or ...

'' (English: 'bridge on wooden piles'). By the time of the

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

c. 509 BC, the number of sailors and fishermen making a living from the river had increased, and many had taken up residence in Trastevere. Immigrants from the East also settled there, mainly Jews and

Syrians Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

. The area began to be considered part of the city under

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

, who divided Rome into 14 regions (''regiones'' in Latin); modern Trastevere was the XIV and was called ''Trans Tiberim''. Since the end of the Roman Republic the quarter was also the center of an important

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

community, which lived there until the end of the Middle Ages. Rome's oldest remaining synagogue, though not used as such any longer, is found in the district. The building was constructed in 980, and became a synagogue in 1073 through the efforts of lexicographer Nathan ben Yechiel. Within the building there was also a

mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

. At the base of the central column

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

writing is still visible. Its use as a synagogue ended when the Jews were forced to move to the

Roman ghetto The Roman Ghetto or Ghetto of Rome ( it, Ghetto di Roma) was a Jewish ghettos in Europe, Jewish ghetto established in 1555 in the Sant'Angelo (rione of Rome), Rione Sant'Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by present-day Via del Portic ...

on the other side of the

Tiber river The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

in the mid-16th century. It is now used commercially, and can be found at 14, Vicolo dell’Atleta. With the wealth of the Imperial Age, several important figures decided to build their ''villae'' in Trastevere, including

Clodia Clodius is an alternate form of the Roman '' nomen'' Claudius, a patrician ''gens'' that was traditionally regarded as Sabine in origin. The alternation of ''o'' and ''au'' is characteristic of the Sabine dialect. The feminine form is Clodia. Rep ...

, (

Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His s ...

' "friend") and

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

(his garden villa, the '' Horti Caesaris''). The ''regio'' included two of the most ancient churches in Rome, the ''Titulus Callixti'', later called the

Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere); en, Our Lady in Trastevere) is a titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and ...

, and the ''Titulus Cecilae'',

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is a 5th-century church in Rome, Italy, in the Trastevere rione, devoted to the Roman martyr Saint Cecilia (early 3rd century AD). History The first church on this site was founded probably in the 3rd century, by Pop ...

. In order to have a stronghold on the right Bank and to control the

Gianicolo The Janiculum (; it, Gianicolo ), occasionally the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among th ...

hill, ''Transtiberim'' was partially included by Emperor

Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...

(270–275) inside the wall erected to defend the city against the Germanic tribes. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Trastevere had narrow, winding, irregular streets; moreover, because of the ''mignani'' (structures on the front of buildings) there was no space for carriages to pass. At the end of the 15th century these ''mignani'' were removed. Nevertheless, Trastevere remained a maze of narrow streets. There was a strong contrast between the large, opulent houses of the upper classes and the small, dilapidated houses of the poor. The streets had no pavement until the time of

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

at the end of the 15th century. At first bricks were used, but these were later replaced by sampietrini (cobble stones), which were more suitable for carriages. Thanks to its partial isolation (it was "beyond the Tiber") and to the fact that its population had been multicultural since the ancient Roman period, the inhabitants of Trastevere, called ''Trasteverini'', developed a culture of their own. In 1744 Benedict XIV modified the borders of the ''rioni'', giving Trastevere its modern limits.

Modern day

Nowadays, Trastevere maintains its character thanks to its narrow cobbled streets lined by ancient houses. At night, natives and tourists alike flock to its many pubs and restaurants, but much of the original character of Trastevere remains. The area is also home to several foreign academic institutions including

The American University of Rome The American University of Rome (commonly referred to as AUR) is a degree-granting American university in Rome, Italy. AUR is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in the United States and is recognized by the Italian Min ...

and

John Cabot University John Cabot University (JCU) is a private American-style university in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1972 and it offers undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and study abroad programs to English-speaking students. The university has more tha ...

(both of which are private American universities), the American Academy in Rome, the Rome campus of the

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Merrimack, New Hampshire. It emphasizes classical education in the Catholic intellectual tradition and is named after Saint Thomas More. It is accredite ...

, the Canadian

University of Waterloo School of Architecture The School of Architecture is one of the professional schools of the University of Waterloo. It offers a professional program in architecture accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board at the master's level (M.Arch.). It is part ...

(between the months of September and December), and the American

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

School of Architecture therefore serving as home to an international student body. The neighborhood has attracted artists, foreign expats, and many famous people. In the sixties and seventies, the American musicians/composers Frederic Rzewski and

Richard Teitelbaum Richard Lowe Teitelbaum (May 19, 1939 – April 9, 2020) was an American composer, keyboardist, and improvisor. A student of Allen Forte, Mel Powell, and Luigi Nono, he was known for his live electronic music and synthesizer performances. He was ...

, of the group

Musica Elettronica Viva Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) is a live acoustic/electronic improvisational group formed in Rome, Italy, in 1966. It is "something of an irregular institution, a band that has come together intermittently through the years". Its founding members ...

, lived in Via della Luce.

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...

, 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.

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

, the film music composer, went to the same school, and for one year was in the same class as Sergio Leone.

Geography

The ''rione'' is on the west bank of the River

, south of

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

, in the plain between the meander of the river and the Janiculum Hill. In addition to the river, that marks the eastern border of the borough, the area is delimited to the west and to the south by the

Janiculum walls The Janiculum walls (Italian: Mura gianicolensi) are a stretch of defensive walls erected in 1643 by Pope Urban VIII as a completion of the Leonine wall (defending the Vatican Hill) and for a better protection of the area of Rome rising on the rig ...

, and to the north by the Galleria Principe Amedeo di Savoia-Aosta tunnel.

Boundaries

To the north, Trastevere borders with

Borgo Borgo may refer to the following places: Finland * Borgå France * Borgo, Haute-Corse Italy * Borgo (rione of Rome), a ''rione'' in the City of Rome. *Borgo a Mozzano, in the province of Lucca *Borgo d'Ale, in the province of Vercelli *Borgo di ...

(R. XIV), whose border is defined by a portion of

the walls The Walls are an Irish rock band. They were formed in 1998 by two ex-members of The Stunning – brothers Steve and Joe Wall. Their debut album ''Hi-Lo'' was released in 2000 and included the singles "Bone Deep", "Something's Wrong" and "Some ...

of Urban VIII, beside Rampa del Sangallo and Viale delle Mura Aurelie, by Piazza della Rovere and by Ponte Principe Amedeo. To the east, the ''rione'' borders with Ponte (R. V),

Regola Regola is the 7th ''rione'' of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VII, and belongs to the Municipio I. The name comes from ''Arenula'' (the name is recognizable in the modern ''Via Arenula''), which was the name of the soft sand (''rena'' ...

(R. VII) and Ripa (R. XII): the border is marked by the stretch of the

between Ponte Principe Amedeo and

Ponte Sublicio Ponte Sublicio, also known as Ponte Aventino or Ponte Marmoreo, is a bridge linking Piazza dell'Emporio to Piazza di Porta Portese in Rome (Italy), in the Rioni Ripa, Trastevere and Testaccio and in the ''Quartiere'' Portuense. The most ancie ...

. To the south, Trastevere borders with '' Quartiere''

Portuense Portuense is the 11th ''Quarters of Rome, quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q.XI. The toponym is also used to indicate the urbanistic area 15b, in the Municipio XV. The population of the urbanistic area amounts to 30.362 in ...

(Q. XI), from which is separated by a short stretch of the Aurelian Walls beside Piazza di

Porta Portese Porta Portese is an ancient city gate, located at the end of Via Portuense, where it meets Via Porta Portese, about a block from the banks of the Tiber in the southern edge of the Rione Trastevere of Rome, Italy. History The gate was built in ...

; as well as with ''Quartiere'' Aurelio (Q. XIII), from which is separated by the stretch of the Walls between Porta Portese and

Porta San Pancrazio Porta San Pancrazio is one of the southern gates of the Aurelian walls in Rome, Italy. The gate houses the National Association of Garibaldi Veterans and Survivors along with the Garibaldi Museum (also dedicated to the Italian Partisan Division ...

. Westward, it borders with ''Quartiere''

Gianicolense Gianicolense is the 12th ''quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. XII. It belongs to the Municipio XI and Municipio XII. It takes its name from the Janiculum hill, which lies in the nearby ''rione'' Trastevere and whose weste ...

(Q. XII), whose boundary is marked by the Aurelian Walls, alongside Viale delle Mura Aurelie.

Places of interest

Palaces and other buildings

Palazzo Corsini alla Lungara The Palazzo Corsini is a prominent late-baroque palace in Rome, erected for the Corsini family between 1730 and 1740 as an elaboration of the prior building on the site, a 15th-century villa of the Riario family, based on designs of Ferdinando Fug ...

, in Via della Lungara, seat of the

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

of Rome. * Villa Farnesina, in Via della Lungara. *

Palazzo San Callisto The Palazzo San Callisto (also known as the Palace of Saint Callixtus) is a Baroque palace in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome and one of the extraterritorial Properties of the Holy See. The original Palazzo is located in the ''Piazza di Sant ...

, fronting Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere and Piazza di San Calisto. Vatican extraterritorial building. Houses some departments of the Roman Curia. * Villa Lante al Gianicolo, in Passeggiata del Gianicolo. *

Villa Sciarra The Villa Sciarra is a villa in Frascati, Italy. Also called ''Villa Bel Poggio'', the Villa Sciarra was built in 1570 at the orders of Ottaviano Vestri. The portal gate of the gardens is to ascribe to Nicola Salvi Nicola Salvi or Niccolò ...

, in Via Calandrelli. * Villa Spada, in Via Giacomo Medici, built in 1639, seat of the Irish embassy to the Holy See. *

Regina Coeli "Regina caeli" (; Queen of Heaven) is a musical antiphon addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is used in the liturgy of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church during the Easter season, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. During this sea ...

, in Via della Lungara. *

San Michele a Ripa The Ospizio di San Michele a Ripa Grande (Hospice of St Michael) or Ospizio Apostolico di San Michele in Rome is represented today by a series of buildings in the south end of the Rione Trastevere, facing the Tiber River and extending from the ba ...

Churches

Santa Maria dell'Orto Santa Maria dell'Orto is a church in the Rione of Trastevere in Rome (Italy). It is the national church of Japan in Rome. History The church is set in the middle of the area that has been called the ''Prata Mucia'' ("Fields of Mucius") since a ...

San Crisogono San Crisogono is a church in Rome (rione Trastevere) dedicated to the martyr Saint Chrysogonus. It was one of the tituli, the first parish churches of Rome, and was probably built in the 4th century under Pope Sylvester I (314–335). The ...

* Santa Maria dei Sette Dolori *

San Pietro in Montorio San Pietro in Montorio (Saint Peter on the Golden Mountain) is a church in Rome, Italy, which includes in its courtyard the ''Tempietto'', a small commemorative '' martyrium'' (tomb) built by Donato Bramante. History The Church of San Pietro in ...

San Callisto San Callisto ( en, Saint Callixtus, la, S. Calixti) is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, Italy, built over the site of Pope Callixtus I's martyrdom (c. AD 222). The original building dates from the time of Pope Gregory III (r. 731–741), w ...

* Sant'Agata in Trastevere *

Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo is a titular church in Trastevere, Rome. It is the official church of the papal order of knighthood Order of the Holy Sepulchre. A side chapel is dedicated to the Order and a former grand master, Nicola Canali is entombed ...

* San Benedetto in Piscinula * Santa Maria della Luce * Santi Maria e Gallicano * Sante Rufina e Seconda * Santa Margherita in Trastevere *

Chiesa di San Cosimato The church of San Cosimato is a church located in the city of Rome, Italy. It was originally built in the 10th century in the Trastevere rione and now includes the hospital known as "Nuovo Regina Margherita." Originally, it was built as a Benedi ...

* Santi Quaranta Martiri e San Pasquale Baylon * San Francesco a Ripa * San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi * Santa Maria in Cappella * Sant'Egidio * Santa Maria della Scala *

Santa Dorotea Santa Dorotea is an ancient Roman Catholic church in the Diocese of Rome first attested to in a Papal bull of Pope Callistus II in 1123, being referred to under its first dedication of ''San Silvestro alla Porta Settimiana''. History In 1445 it ...

San Giovanni della Malva in Trastevere San Giovanni della Malva in Trastevere () is a church in Rome, in the Trastevere district, located in Piazza di S. Giovanni della Malva. It is the Albanians, Albanian national church in Rome.San Giovanni della Malva in Trastevere , Ministry of ...

Santa Croce alla Lungara Santa Croce alla Lungara is a church in Rome (Italy), in the Rione Trastevere, facing on Via della Lungara. It is also called ''Santa Croce delle Scalette, due to the presence of a double flight of stairs (Italian: ''scale'') giving access fro ...

San Giacomo alla Lungara San Giacomo alla Lungara is a church in Rome (Italy), in the Rione Trastevere, facing on Via della Lungara. It is also called ''San Giacomo in Settimiano'' or ''in Settignano'', due to its vicinity to Porta Settimiana, built by Septimius Severus ...

San Giuseppe alla Lungara San Giuseppe alla Lungara is a church of Rome (Italy), in the Rione Trastevere, facing on Via della Lungara. It was built under the papacy of Clement XII in 1734, after a design by Ludovico Rusconi Sassi; it underwent restoration works during th ...

San Giosafat al Gianicolo The Ukrainian Pontifical College of Saint Josaphat is a Pontifical College in Rome, for seminarians and priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Its patron saint is Josaphat Kuntsevych. It also includes the church of San Giosafat al Giani ...

* Sant'Antonio Maria Zaccaria * Oratory of Santa Maria Addolorata in Trastevere * Santa Maria del Buon Viaggio * Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Villa Lante * San Francesco e Santa Caterina patroni d'Italia * Santa Maria del Ritiro al Gianicolo * Santa Maria della Visitazione e San Francesco di Sales

Fountains

Fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere The Fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere is a fountain located in the square in front of the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, Italy. It is believed to be the oldest fountain in Rome, dating back, according to some sources, to th ...

Fontana dell'Acqua Paola The Fontana dell'Acqua Paola also known as Il Fontanone ("The big fountain") is a monumental fountain located on the Janiculum Hill, near the church of San Pietro in Montorio, in Rome, Italy. It was built in 1612 to mark the end of the Acqua Pao ...

Fontanone di Ponte Sisto The Fontana or Fontanone di Ponte Sisto, once known as the Fontanone dei Cento Preti, is an early 17th-century, monumental fountain now located in Piazza Trilussa, facing the south end of the Ponte Sisto, in Trastevere, Rome, Italy. It was reconstr ...

Education

Public libraries in Trastevere include ''Casa della Memoria e della Storia''.Biblioteche ed i Centri specializzati
" City of Rome. Retrieved on 8 September 2012.

References

External links

*
{{Authority control Rioni of Rome Restaurant districts and streets !