Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trastevere is perhaps best in the late afternoons, when the children play soccer
in the squares and the smell of the burning wood from the just-lit pizza ovens fills
the air. At night, the restaurant scene is unimaginably vibrant, with people of every
age, from tiny babies in buggies to elderly couples walking hand in hand, filling the
streets. Even at midnight, especially in the summer, Trastevere is just springing to
life. Because of that, don't stay in this part of town if you are fond of quiet nights.
To most people, Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere is the proverbial heart and
soul of this area. Any time of the day or night, this piazza is buzzing with the type
of contagious activity that most visitors equate with life in Rome. The 17th-century
fountain in the center is the meeting point for those who live here, and it typifies
much of what Trastevere is all about, even though lately the residents on this piazza
are mostly foreigners who have all but run out the locals with high rent prices. That
said, there are still more than enough locals living in the back streets to keep this
neighborhood genuine. The church on this square, Santa Maria
55
(Piazza Santa
Maria; % 065814802; daily 7:30am-8pm), is famous for the 13th-century mosaics
on the facade of Mary breastfeeding Jesus alongside 10 women with crowns and
lanterns (often thought to represent the parable of the wise and foolish virgins). This
is one of the oldest churches in Rome and it is by far one of its most captivating. It
is a perfect place to light a candle or to sit in a pew, to take in the smell of burning
incense, and to admire the 12th-century mosaics by Pietro Cavallini that cover the
apse. On weekends in the spring, it's not uncommon to witness gorgeous weddings
against a backdrop of fresh flowers, and on Saturday evenings, you can join the local
faithful as they stream in for evening Mass.
Behind Piazza Santa Maria, the streets wind around and pour out into a num-
ber of interesting piazze with tiny museums. Museo di Roma in Trastevere (Piazza
Sant'Egidio, 1B; % 06-5816563; www.comune.roma.it/museodiroma.trastevere;
2.60; daily 10am-8pm, ticket booth closes 1 hr. earlier) hosts temporary exhibits
in addition to the standing Roma Sparita (Vanished Rome) depictions by Ettore
Roesler Frazz, the artist who captured views of Rome just as they disappeared.
There is also another bocca della verità, but this one is without the tourists and long
lines. It is by no means a museum you must see, but it is one that won't disappoint
you if you feel intrigued.
Down the way from here are the lush Botanical Gardens (Orto Botanico)
5
(Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24; % 06-49917106; adults 3, children 2; Nov-Mar
9:30am-5:30pm, 1 hr. later rest of the year), with over 3,500 species of plants,
including a sight-and-scent garden for the visually impaired. These gardens once
belonged to the controversial Queen Christina of Sweden, whose home was the
adjacent Palazzo Corsini, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica (Via della Lungara,
10; % 06-6874845; www.galleriaborghese.it; adults 4, seniors and students 2;
guided tours Tues-Fri at 9:30, 11:30am, and 12:30pm, Sat and holidays tours at
8:30am and 1:20pm). She moved to Rome when she abdicated the Swedish
throne after converting to Catholicism, but her most famous epithet is “Queen
without a realm, Christian without a faith, and a woman without shame.” This
stemmed from her blatant bisexuality, which in the 17th century was frowned
upon—at least publicly. Several other big names stayed in this beautiful palace,
including Michelangelo and Napoleon's mother, Letizia. Now it houses a moder-
ately interesting museum with mostly the runoff from Italy's national art collec-
tion. There is a Caravaggio here worth note, the Narcissus, but otherwise the
palace history and legend are more interesting than the museum itself.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search