Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is the Tempietto by Donato Bramante. This tiny church, built to commemorate the martyr-
dom of St. Peter, is considered a jewel of Italian Renaissance architecture.
Continuing up the hill, Via Garibaldi connects to Passeggiata del Gianicolo. From here,
you'llfindapleasantparkwithpanoramiccityviews.PonderthemanyVictorian-erastatues,
including that of baby-carrying, gun-wielding, horse-riding Anita Garibaldi. She was the
Brazilian wife of the revolutionary General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who helped forge a united
Italy in the late 19th century.
From the 16th through the 19th centuries, Rome's Jewish population was forced to live in
a cramped ghetto at an often-flooded bend of the Tiber River. While the medieval Jewish
ghetto is long gone, this area—just across the river and toward Capitoline Hill from Tras-
tevere—is still home to Rome's synagogue and fragments of its Jewish heritage.
Rome's modern synagogue stands proudly on the spot where the medieval Jewish commu-
nity was sequestered for more than 300 years. The site of a historic visit by Pope John
Paul II, this synagogue features a fine interior and a museum filled with artifacts of Rome's
Jewish community. Modest dress is required. The only way to visit the synagogue—unless
you're here for daily prayer service—is with a tour.
Cost and Hours:
€10 ticket includes museum and guided hourly tour of synagogue;
mid-June-mid-Sept Sun-Thu 10:00-19:00, Fri 10:00-16:00, closed Sat; mid-Sept-mid-June
Sun-Thu 10:00-17:00, Fri 9:00-14:00, closed Sat; last entry 45 minutes before closing, Eng-
lish tours usually at :15 past the hour, 30 minutes, check schedule at ticket counter; on
LungoteveredeiCenci,tel.06-6840-0661,
www.museoebraico.roma.it
.Walkingtoursofthe
Jewish Ghetto are conducted at least once a day except Saturday.
Southeast of the city center lie several ancient sights that make the trek here worthwhile.
Inaugurated byEmperor Caracalla in
A.D.
216,this massive bathcomplex couldaccommod-
ate 1,600 visitors at a time. Today it's just a shell—a huge shell—with all of its sculptures
and most of its mosaics moved to museums. You'll see a two-story roofless brick building
surrounded by a garden, bordered by ruined walls. The two large rooms at either end of
the building were used for exercise. In between the exercise rooms was a pool flanked by
