A Tour of Trastevere
Morning
Begin at
San Crisogno
; ask the custodian to let you into the excavations downstairs. By 10am be at San Francesco a Ripa
for the five minutes it takes to see Bernini’s stunning sculpture. Head
down Via Anicia Antica, right on Via Madonna dell’Orto, and left on Via
di S Michele to reach Santa Cecilia.
Explore the crypt and pay the nuns a small donation to get up to see the
Cavallini frescoes. Head out of the courtyard left onto Via di
Genovesi, which leads to Viale Trastevere.
Crossing Piazza S Maria in Trastevere, bear
right into Piazza S Egidio and fork left onto Via della Scala. Continue
past Santa Maria della Scala and up Via della Lungara to
Villa Farnesina
. You’ll be here before noon, time enough to spend 30 minutes admiring the frescoes. Take a breather amid the greenery of the
Orto Botanico
, then return to the heart of Trastevere to enjoy a pizza at
Dar Poeta
.
Afternoon
After lunch, peruse the collections of the
Museo di Roma
, visit the marvellous medieval church of
Santa Maria in Trastevere
and walk up Via Garibaldi to peek through the grille at Bramante’s Tempietto in the courtyard of
San Pietro in Montorio
. Or simply spend the afternoon wandering the medieval streets
shrouded by washing lines, awaiting the dinner hour when Trastevere
comes to life.
Best of the Rest
San Pietro in Montorio
Bramante designed the mini-temple in the courtyard to mark the spot where St Peter was supposedly crucified.
Palazzo Corsini
Small painting collection, featuring works by Fra’ Angelico, Van Dyck, Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio.
Palazzo Corsini
Tiber Island
It
is said that the serpent of medical god Aesculapius jumped ship and
swam ashore here in 293 BC. Rome’s maternity hospital is still here.
Orto Botanico
Palazzo Corsini’s beautiful gardens are now the University of Rome’s botanical museum.
Ponte Rotto
Rome’s
first stone bridge, (181–142 BC) was ruined in 1598. It retained three
arches until 1886, when two were destroyed to make room for Ponte
Palatino (Rotto means broken in Italian).
Ponte Rotto
Santa Maria della Scala
A charming Renaissance church, whose claim to fame is a Virgin and Child by Cavalier d’Arpino (Caravaggio’s teacher).
Fontana Paola
This wide basin at the end of the Paola aqueduct is a favourite backdrop for wedding photos.
Villa Doria Pamphilj
Rome’s largest public park was established in 1644–52 by Camillo Pamphilj. A great place for picnics.
Museo di Roma in Trastevere
Housed in a beautifully restored ex-convent, this museum includes life-size dioramas of Ancient Roman rooms and shops.
Piazza di S Egidio 1b
Open 10am–8pm Tue–Sun
Adm
San Crisogono
The 1626 façade copies the medieval one. Inside are 22 ancient columns and excavations of the 5th-century basilica.
