HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The part of Trastevere closest to the river was in ancient times a bustling trading center with many foreign residents, while the higher ground was occupied by patrician villas and gardens. Christianity spread rapidly here and in the Middle Ages the life of the neighborhood centered around the area where the most important churches were concentrated; in the 13th century, however, Trastevere passed from papal jurisdiction to the city administration. The number of bridges linking Trastevere to the districts on the other side of the river - Cestio, Fabricio, and what is now the Ponte Rotto - was increased with the addition, by Julius II, of Ponte Sisto. This new bridge formed part of the street plan created by Bramante (1508-12), based essentially on Via Giulia and Via della Lungara, which run parallel along the two sides of the river. Paul V created Via di San Francesco a Ripa and built the Acquedotto Paolo, while the Mura Gianicolense (1642-44) were the work of Urban VIII. Between the 17th and 18th century, buildings of architectural interest such as the San Gallicano hospital and the San Michele a Ripa Grande hospice were built. With Pius IX came the tobacco industry and the development of the area around Piazza Mastai, while Rome's designation as capital of Italy brought the panoramic walkway along the Janiculum, more new bridges (ponti Palatino, Garibaldi, and Mazzini) and the river embankments which put an end to the flooding (but also to a wide range of riverside activities).
NOT TO BE MISSED
At the center of Trastevere, in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, stands the church of the same name, probably the oldest of its kind in Rome. The façade (12th century) features an outstanding mosaic. Other mosaics can be admired inside, while the portico is an 18th-century addition. The church of San Francesco a Ripa holds one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's masterpieces, the "Blessed Ludovica Albertoni". The Basilica di Santa Cecilia was built by Pasqual I on the site of one of the most ancient titular churches, the "titulus Caeciliae"; the rest of the complex was built in the 12th and 13th century, with later additions. Along the Renaissance Via della Lungara can be found Palazzo Corsini, with its important 18th-century art collection housed in Galleria Corsini; the 16th-century Villa Farnesina; and Palazzo Salviati, an early work by Giulio Romano (1520-27). The Janiculum walkway offers one of the most spectacular views of Rome. Just below it lies the complex of San Pietro in Montorio, with the convent where Bramante's famous temple can be found, and the church itself, the origins of which are thought to date from the ninth century.
CURIOUS FACTS
Trastevere is the neighborhood that has remained most faithful to its old folk traditions; its inhabitants consider themselves the "real" Romans, as they demonstrate each year in their "Festa de Noantri". In Piazza Sant'Egidio you can visit the Museum of Folklore and Roman Dialect Poets, which houses a collection of traditional costumes, prints, paintings, and recreations of scenes of daily life in 19th-century Rome. The manuscripts of Belli and Trilussa, the two great Roman dialect poets, are also kept in the museum. Another popular tradition in Trastevere is the Porta Portese market, where all sorts of second-hand objects, furniture and clothes can be found. The market is held every Sunday morning.
