Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere
One of Rome's oldest church sites, a basilica was erected here in the fourth century, when
Christianity was legalized. It is said to have been the first church in Rome dedicated to the
Virgin Mary. The structure you see today dates mainly from the 12th century. Its portico
(covered area just outside the door) is decorated with fascinating fragments of stone—many
of them lids from catacomb burial niches—and filled with early Christian symbolism. The
church is on Piazza di Santa Maria, the Trastevere neighborhood's most important meeting
place. With its broad and inviting steps, the 17th-century fountain was actually designed to
be the “sofa” of the neighborhood. During major soccer games, a large screen is set up here
so that everybody can share in the tension and excitement. At other times, children gather
here with a ball and improvise matches of their own.
Cost and Hours:
Free, daily 7:30-21:00.
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Villa Farnesina
Here's a unique opportunity to see a sumptuous Renaissance villa in Rome decorated with
Raphael paintings. It was built in the early 1500s for the richest man in Renaissance Europe,
Siennese banker Agostino Chigi. Architect Baldassare Peruzzi's design—a U-shaped build-
ing with wings enfolding what used to be a vast garden—successfully blended architecture
and nature in a way that both ancient and Renaissance Romans loved. Orchards and flower
beds flowed down in terraces from the palace to the riverbanks. Later construction of mod-
ernembankmentsandavenuesrobbedthegardenofitsgrandeur,leavingitwithamoremel-
ancholy charm.
In the Loggia of Galatea, find Raphael's painting of the nymph Galatea (on the wall by
the entrance door). Galatea is considered Raphael's vision of female perfection—not a por-
trait of an individual woman, but a composite of his many lovers in an idealized vision.
Raphael and his assistants also painted the subtly erotic Loggia of Psyche.
Cost and Hours:
€5; Mon and Sat 9:00-17:00, Tue-Fri 9:00-14:00, closed Sun, last
entry 20 minutes before closing; across the river from Campo de' Fiori, a short walk from
Ponte Sisto and a block behind the river at 230 Via della Lungara; tel. 06-6802-7268,
From this park atop a hill, the city views are superb, and the walk to the top holds a treat
for architecture buffs. Start at Trastevere's Piazza di San Cosimato, and follow Via Luciano
ManaratoViaGaribaldi,atthebaseofthehill.ViaGaribaldiwindsitswayupthesideofthe
hill to the Church of San Pietro in Montorio. To the right of the church, in a small courtyard,
