Rome – Around Town : Trastevere and Prati (part 2) – Best of the Rest

by

A Tour of Trastevere


Morning

Begin at
San Crisogno
San Francesco a Ripa
for the five minutes it takes to see Bernini’s stunning sculpture. Head
down Via Anicia Antica, right on Via Madonna dell’Orto, and left on Via
di S Michele to reach Santa Cecilia.
Explore the crypt and pay the nuns a small donation to get up to see the
Cavallini frescoes. Head out of the courtyard left onto Via di
Genovesi, which leads to Viale Trastevere.

Crossing Piazza S Maria in Trastevere, bear
right into Piazza S Egidio and fork left onto Via della Scala. Continue
past Santa Maria della Scala and up Via della Lungara to
Villa Farnesina
. You’ll be here before noon, time enough to spend 30 minutes admiring the frescoes. Take a breather amid the greenery of the
Orto Botanico
, then return to the heart of Trastevere to enjoy a pizza at
Dar Poeta
.

Afternoon

After lunch, peruse the collections of the
Museo di Roma
, visit the marvellous medieval church of
Santa Maria in Trastevere
 and walk up Via Garibaldi to peek through the grille at Bramante’s Tempietto in the courtyard of
San Pietro in Montorio
. Or simply spend the afternoon wandering the medieval streets
shrouded by washing lines, awaiting the dinner hour when Trastevere
comes to life.

Best of the Rest

  1. San Pietro in Montorio

    Bramante designed the mini-temple in the courtyard to mark the spot where St Peter was supposedly crucified.

    • Via Garibaldi 33

    • Open 8:30am–noon, 3–4pm Mon–Fri; 8:30am–noon Sat, Sun

    • Free




  2. Palazzo Corsini

    Small painting collection, featuring works by Fra’ Angelico, Van Dyck, Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio.

    • Via della Lungara 10

    • Open 8:30am–7:30pm Tue–Sun

    • Adm




    Palazzo Corsini

  3. Tiber Island

    It
    is said that the serpent of medical god Aesculapius jumped ship and
    swam ashore here in 293 BC. Rome’s maternity hospital is still here.




  4. Orto Botanico

    Palazzo Corsini’s beautiful gardens are now the University of Rome’s botanical museum.

    • Largo Cristina di Svezia 24

    • Open Apr–Oct: 9:30am–6pm; Nov–Mar: 9:30am–5:30pm Mon–Sat

    • Adm

    • DA




  5. Ponte Rotto

    Rome’s
    first stone bridge, (181–142 BC) was ruined in 1598. It retained three
    arches until 1886, when two were destroyed to make room for Ponte
    Palatino (Rotto means broken in Italian).




    Ponte Rotto

  6. Santa Maria della Scala

    A charming Renaissance church, whose claim to fame is a Virgin and Child by Cavalier d’Arpino (Caravaggio’s teacher).

    • Piazza S Maria della Scala

    • Open 9am–noon, 3:30–6pm daily

    • Free




  7. Fontana Paola

    This wide basin at the end of the Paola aqueduct is a favourite backdrop for wedding photos.




  8. Villa Doria Pamphilj

    Rome’s largest public park was established in 1644–52 by Camillo Pamphilj. A great place for picnics.

    • Via di S Pancrazio

    • Open sunrise–sunset daily

    • Free

    • DA




  9. Museo di Roma in Trastevere

    Housed in a beautifully restored ex-convent, this museum includes life-size dioramas of Ancient Roman rooms and shops.

    • Piazza di S Egidio 1b

    • Open 10am–8pm Tue–Sun

    • Adm

  10. San Crisogono

    The 1626 façade copies the medieval one. Inside are 22 ancient columns and excavations of the 5th-century basilica.

    • Piazza S Sonnino 44

    • Open 7:30– 11:30am, 4–7pm Mon–Sat; 8:30am–1pm, 4:15–7:30pm Sun

    • Adm