t Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
t Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Experience Trastevere
The proud and aggressively independent inhabitants of Trastevere, the area “across the Tiber”, consider themselves the most authentic of Romans. In one of the most picturesque old quarters of the city, it is still possible to glimpse scenes of everyday life that seem to belong to bygone centuries despite the proliferation of fashionable boutiques, cafés and restaurants that characterize the area today. Some of Rome’s most fascinating medieval churches lie hidden away in the patchwork of narrow, cobbled back-streets, the only clue to their location an occasional glimpse of a Romanesque bell tower. Of these, Santa Cecilia was built on the site of the martyrdom of the patron saint of music, San Francesco a Ripa commemorates St Francis of Assisi’s visit to Rome, and Santa Maria in Trastevere is the traditional centre of the spiritual and social life of the area.