| Trastevere Trastevere or Trestevere in local dialect,
is rione XIII of Rome, and it lies on the west bank of the Tiber. Its
name comes from the Latin trans Tiberim, meaning "beyond the Tiber".
In Trastevere young and old people, locals and tourists alike spend
their evenings roaming in the narrow cobbled streets lined by medieval
houses, eating in a typical Roman restaurant, and drinking in one of the
several pubs situated in the area.
Thanks to its many typical restaurants, pubs, pizzerias, as well as the
little and stylish shops, Trastevere remains one of the most lively and
picturesque districts of Rome.
The maze of narrow streets leads to beautiful squares such as Piazza
Trilussa, gathering point for the young at night, or Piazza Santa Maria
in Trastevere, which features the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere
(Basilica of Our Lady's in Trastevere ) boasting a XIII century mosaic
on the upper side of the façade.
Did You Know..? Nowadays Trastevere is the Restaurants and nightlife
area...
At the very beginning of Rome’s history, Trastevere belonged to the
hostile Etruscans. Rome conquered it to gain control of the river from
both banks, but was not interested in building on that side of the river.
In fact, the only connection between Trastevere and the rest of the city
was a small wooden bridge called the Pons Sublicius. Thanks to the area
partial isolation and its cosmopolitan environment, the people of
Trastevere, known as trasteverini, were a sort of population of their
own, famous for their tenacity, pride and honesty.
The beauty of the local women boasting dark eyes and hair and regular
features also had a wide appeal.
In the Middle Ages Trastevere had narrow, winding, irregular streets: a
real maze with a strong contrast between the huge mansions of the rich
and the small houses of the poor. The streets had no pavement until the
end of the 1400s, when Pope Sixtus IV decided to renovate the area. For
the paving project bricks were initially chosen, but these were soon
replaced by sampietrini (cobble stones), because they were more suitable
for carriages.
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