visit Rome in 2 days
- 1st day
- 2nd day
visit Rome in 4 days
- 1st day
- 2nd day
- 3rd day
- 4th day
visit Rome in 3 days
discover Rome:
- Water in Rome
- Along the Tiber
- Medieval Rome
- Egyptian Obelisks
- The historic squares
- Baroque Rome
- Renaissance in Rome
- Villas and gardens
- Arches ancient Rome
- Castelli wine
- Colli Albani wine
- Colli Lanuvini wine
- Frascati wine
- Montecompatri wine
- Velletri wine
Rome travel guides
Rome: along the Tiber
This itinerary unwinds along the Tiber, always a characteristic element of the Roman landscape. Up until the construction of the embankments, in the late 19th century, it was completely navigable and characterized by an unending sequence of buildings that faced onto and were reflected in the water.
Legend has it that in the 3rd century B.C., during a plague, the Romans went by ship to Epidaurus, in Greece, to learn from the god Aesculapius how to escape the scourge. But when the returning ship was ascending the river, the god's sacred serpent slipped out of it, at the point where the island was, indicating that that island was to be consecrated to him.
The construction of a
building sacred to the god Aesculapius, where the
present-day church of San Bartolomeo now stands, determined
the definitive destination of the island to a place of
medical treatment, also facilitated by its position
segregated from the residential centre. Today, still, the
Fatebenefratelli Hospital is the building which occupies the
island almost entirely, characterising it deeply.
A historic trattoria of the isola Tiberina is Sora Lella, at
Via di Ponte dei Quattro Capi 16, which belonged to the
sister of Roman actor Aldo Fabrizi.
The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges: the Cestio, connecting it with the Trastevere bank, and the Fabricio, or Ponte dei Quattro Capi, which was built in 62 B.C. and is the oldest bridge in Rome which has arrived to us practically intact. From the island it is also possible to see a third bridge, the Ponte Rotto, which collapsed in the late 16th century. In the past the Ponte Fabricio was called Ponte dei Giudei (Bridge of Jews) because it joined the Isola Tiberina to the area of the Ghetto where Rome's Jews lived.
The term "Ghetto" is used to
indicate the quarter lying between Monte dei Cenci and the
Theatre of Marcellus, lying entirely within the Sant'Angelo
district. It was founded by Pope Paul IV Carafa in 1555, and
abolished only in 1870, with the end of the Church State. It
was surrounded by a wall in which there were three gates,
opened in the morning and closed at dusk. In an area of
approximately three hectares, in the 17th century around
9,000 inhabitants lived there in frightful sanitary
conditions.
The Ghetto faces onto the Lungotevere Cenci with the
monumental building of the Synagogue, built in 1904,today
also the seat of the Israelite Museum of the Jewish
Community of Rome.
The river was used for
fishing and bathing; the water was used to drink and for
motive power.
Today, from late spring through early autumn, an atmospheric
river navigation service between the Ponte del Foro Italico
and Ponte Umberto I (tel. 064463481) is offered. On the
other hand, for bicycle lovers there is a bike lane between
Ponte Flaminio and Ponte Risorgimento.
Our walk starts from the Isola Tiberina, which was of exceptional importance in the history of the birth and development of Rome.
In fact, starting in
extremely ancient times, the island's presence facilitated
the crossing of the river, leading to the building of the
first permanent settlements on the surrounding high ground.
According to ancient tradition, the island was allegedly
formed in the late 6th century A.D. after the Etruscan kings
were driven from Rome, when the people threw into the river,
out of contempt for the monarchy, the wheat harvested on the
royal properties of Campus Martius. Another legend tells of
a large boat grounded in the middle of the river during a
flood, and later filled up with sand transported by the
current.
In reality the island is situated on an ancient volcanic
rock core similar to that on which the nearby Capitol
stands, but the shape actually does seem to resemble a ship.
This did not escape the attention of the Romans who, in the
1st century B.C., accentuated the shape, modelling the
island's sides with travertine and raising an obelisk in the
centre, like a majestic mast. This "stone ship" was meant to
commemorate the healthful ship of Aesculapius, the god of
medicine, and his miraculous intervention.
Behind the Synagogue runs the Via del Portico d'Ottavia, which owes its name
to the ruins of the ancient portico built at the end of the 1st century B.C.
by the Emperor Augustus for his sister.
Inside part of the monument stands the church of Sant'Angelo
in Pescheria, so-called in reference to the important fish market held here
from the Middle Ages up to the end of the 19th century. The stone tablet
used in the market to remind customers of the obligation to give the
Municipal Magistrates the heads of any fish whose length was longer than
that of the tablet itself is still there.
The church of Sant'Angelo was one of the four churches where Jews had to go
every Saturday with the obligation of listening to the sermons aiming to
convert them. It was possible to avoid doing so by paying a fine, but more
often the Jews preferred to fill their ears with wax!
Today the Ghetto is one of the zones of Rome which, more
than any other, has kept the physiognomy, aromas, and flavours of the old
city: for a taste of the specialities of authentic Roman and Jewish cooking
- carciofi alla giudia (crisp-fried whole artichokes), filetti di baccalà
(fried fillets of salted cod), coda alla vaccinara (braised oxtail "butcher"
style) - we recommend the trattorias Giggetto, at Via del Portico d'Ottavia
21a/22 (tel. 06-6861105), and Al Pompiere, at Via Santa Maria dei Calderari
38 (06 6868377). Also make a stop at Boccione, Via del Portico d'Ottavia 1,
for cakes, pastries, and unleavened bread baked in the best Roman-Jewish
tradition.
Continuing the itinerary southward, we reach the zone of the
Foro Boario, the site in ancient times of the cattle and
beef market, and the Velabrum, once a stagnant marsh where,
according to tradition, the basket with the twins Romulus
and Remus was found.
The sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia, the twins were saved by a
she-wolf who nursed them. For this reason the she-wolf has
become one of the symbols of the city of Rome.
Dominating monuments in the area are the two famous Temples
called of Vesta (the one with a circular plan, in reality
dedicated to Hercules Victor) and of Fortuna Virilis (in
reality dedicated to the river god Portumnus). Following is
the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin dating from the 6th
century and entrusted later to the Greeks who had fled to
Rome from the East. In fact, the church's name comes from
the Greek, referring to the splendid decorations
characterising it.
Here, each Sunday at 10.30
a.m., a Greek-Orthodox mass is held.
Beneath the portico, of the church, to the left, is the
famous Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), a large stone
disk depicting the face of a faun or river god, with its
mouth open. It is probably a monumental slab to close a
drain but, according to legend, the stone was used to judge
people's honesty: whoever told a lie while holding his hand
in the mouth would have ended up pulling out only the stump.
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck also fell subject to its mysterious charm in the famous film Roman Holiday!
At this point the walk continues towards Castel Sant'Angelo, northward; we can either continue on foot or take a bus.
If, on the other hand, we want to take a short break, on the
other side of the Tiber, at the entrance to Ponte Cestio, we
can enjoy one of the most famous "grattacecche" (water ices)
in Rome.
Castel Sant'Angelo was built in the early 2nd century by the
Emperor Hadrian, as a monumental tomb for himself and his
successors.
It is connected to the left
bank of the Tiber by Ponte Elio, today's Ponte Sant'Angelo,
decorated with ten marble statues of angels with the symbols
of the passion of Christ, carved after a design by Gian
Lorenzo Bernini. The monument's fate was decided in 403,
when the Emperor Honorius incorporated it into the city
walls, making it into a bridgehead on the river. From the
13th century it became an "annexe" of the nearby Vatican,
and Pope Nicholas III created the famous "Passetto di Borgo",
a covered corridor connecting St. Peter's to the Castle.
The fortress became famous down through time, especially as
a prison; here Benvenuto Cellini and the famous adventurer
Giuseppe Balsamo, known as the Count of Cagliostro, were
imprisoned.
The name with which the
fortress is known derives from a miraculous event which took
place in 590: Rome was in the midst of a severe plague, and
Pope Gregory the Great had organised a solemn procession to
pray for its end. When the procession reached the Mole of
Hadrian, Archangel Michael was seen flying up and sheathing
his flaming sword, symbolising the end of the plague. The
statue of the angel, placed on the top of the castle to
commemorate the event, was replaced six times.
Leaving Castel Sant'Angelo behind us and again going along
the Tiber, we go past the Palace of Justice and reach Ponte
Cavour, on the other side of which is the Ara Pacis.
The altar of peace was ordered by Augustus to celebrate the peace in the Empire after the conquests of Gaul and Spain. The monument, which originally stood near the present-day Via in Lucina in the Campus Martius quarter, was moved here in 1938. Before the altar is the Mausoleum built by Augustus as a tomb for himself and his family.
The monument, which fell into abandon, was at various times used as a vineyard, a garden and, in the late 16th century, an area for tournaments and bullfights. At the end of the 19th century it was called "Anfiteatro Umberto", and from 1905 to 1930 it was a concert hall called "Augusteo". At the end of the 1930s the monument was separated from its surroundings, with the creation of the large piazza Augusto Imperatore.
Right on the piazza, at no. 9, we recommend the restaurant 'Gusto (06 3226273), with extremely refined cuisine and decor; on Saturdays and Sundays it is also open for lunch. Also, for excellent fettuccine, at no. 30 there is Alfredo all'Augusteo (06 6878734).
Length of itinerary: entire day.
Practical information: Synagogue and Jewish Museum, open
from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.,
Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon, closed Saturdays.
Castel Sant'Angelo, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Mondays.
Ara Pacis, closed for restoration.
Text courtesy of
romaturismo.com
Azienda Promozione Turistica Comune di Roma