Trastevere Walk

Our tour will start in front of Ponte Fabricio, the oldest existing bridge in the city of Rome, built in 62 B.C. by Lucio Fabricio, a curator of the streets, replacing an older existing wooden structure, which underwent restoration over the years by Pope Eugene IV and Pope Innocent XI. The work is also known as the Ponte dei Quattro Capi, in memory of the four architects who restored it at the time of Pope Sixtus V, punished with the death penalty by the latter, following the constant quarrels that arose. By crossing the bridge we can enjoy an excellent and unusual perspective of the city.

The bridge leads to a place of particular importance for the history of Rome: the Tiber island. The history of the Tiber island is linked to a picturesque and symbolic legend, handed down by Roman historians such as Livy and Plutarch. The legend takes us back to 509 BC, when the Romans regained possession of the plain of Campo Marzio, once occupied by the last and hated king of Rome: Tarquinius the Superb.  Being considered nefarious the consume of the fruits of the king’s field, the Romans, reaping the wheat in the field, threw it in large quantities in the Tiber. Livio says that the quantity of wheat was so high that it got stuck  in the shallows of the river. This determined the formation of an island: the Tiber island.

In later times, this area was mainly intended for health care, a vocation that it still retains. The island is in fact home to one of the hospitals in Rome, the Fatebenefratelli.

Our tour will continue to discover the Trastevere district, famous for being the most “Roman” of all neighborhoods. Built on a narrow strip of land between Monteverde Vecchio and the Tiber, Trastevere is at least as picturesque as the historic center. Among narrow colored alleys there are Roman restaurants, markets, small shops, artisan shops but also one of the oldest churches in Rome, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. Started at the behest of Pope Callisto I in the 4th century, today we can admire its coffered ceiling in gold which embellishes the sculptures and external paintings.

Finally, we will focus on the story of a rich and noble Christian woman, Santa Cecilia,  who offered her life to God. We will discover together the reason why the beautiful basilica was built in this place, whose origins date back to the fifth century AD.