On the Banks of the Tiber - Trastevere, Ghetto, and the Center of Rome

Program

Our walk will start at Piazza Venezia, one of the largest and most beautiful squares in Rome. Then we will escape from the noisy streets of the city center to a quiet neighborhood on the border with the Ghetto, and see the elegant Piazza Mattei with the Turtle Fountain, where I will tell you a romantic love story associated with the fountain and the Mattei dukes family.

After that, we will reach the square of the Argentina Tower, where free-spirited cats have taken over ancient Roman ruins, and then head to Piazza Navona and its secrets, not forgetting to have a cup of the best coffee in Rome on the way. Right next to Navona is another characteristic Roman square - Campo de' Fiori, which also hides many legends, but the main story is connected with the figure of Giordano Bruno, an Italian thinker and humanist of the 16th century.

Reaching the river, we will cross into the Trastevere district via an ancient bridge. In the Middle Ages, this was one of the greatest working-class neighborhoods, where people spoke their own dialect and had their traditions, such as street markets and a poetry festival. To this day, this area remains one of the most authentic and lively in Rome: a labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets and alleys intersecting with market stalls or medieval churches, laundries, and tiny shops, ancient houses adorned with flower boxes intertwining with terracotta buildings.

Passing through Tiber Island, we will find ourselves in the Jewish Quarter, full of legends and romantic antiquities. We will talk about artichokes and the peculiarities of Roman Jewish cuisine, and finally, we will visit the church of Santa Maria in Campitelli, built by Carlo Rainaldi between 1662-1675. This church houses the miraculous icon of the Madonna del Portico: it is believed that she protects against all diseases.