This view down from Capitoline Hill onto Teatro di Marcello provides a startling juxtaposition between then and now. The theater was begun in 44 B.C.E. by Julius Caesar and later completed by Emperor Augustus.
These streets are for the exlusive use of wedding parties on Saturdays and Sundays. Capitoline Hill, Rome.
Not far from our apartment, this stately Roman palazzo now serves as seat of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, equivalent to the House of Representatives.
An ancient church hidden in Rome’s Piazza Capranica. Originally founded in the year 400, the facade was redone in the late 1700’s and the interior in the mid 1800’s.
Gino having a refreshment on our apartment balcony in between excursions into the streets of the Eternal City. He looks very very happy, doesn’t he?!
Another picture-perfect day. Blue skies and warm sun. Today was our “Adventure in Trastevere” day. We followed our plotted path across the Tiber River and arrived at Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere in the old Roman neighborhood of Trastevere. It dawned on me later that Tevere is Italian for Tiber, so this neighborhood name means “across the Tevere (Tiber) River.” Some compare this area to the Left Bank in Paris. Our mission was to find Il Tempietto, the little temple designed by Renaissance architect Bramante. I had tried to find it on a previous trip but was unsuccessful. This time I was determined.
We started at Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, the center of the neighborhood, with its central fountain (this particular incarnation from the 17th century, but one of many at this same spot since Roman times) and one of Rome’s oldest churches within skipping distance: Santa Maria in Trastevere. Designated a basilica in the 4th century, it is a jewel and we wandered inside to admire the lovely mosaics and paintings. Then off we went up the Gianicolo hill, our quest clear.
I followed the map closely, having made my notes carefully before leaving home. Without much trouble or time, we found the church, San Pietro in Montorio, wherein somewhere the courtyard lay which contained my elusive Tempietto. We walked around it, not finding any evidence of the courtyard or the Tempietto. Circling around to the front and up the hill a bit, we found ourselves in front of the Spanish Embassy where a film crew was setting up to film something. We stepped over the cords and wires strewn like discarded spaghetti on the side of the road and peered over the retaining wall for a fabulous view of Rome.
Not wanting to stray from our mission, we resumed our search. I knew the secret lie somewhere within San Pietro in Montorio, so back to that church we went. Stepping inside, I surreptiously opened a door here and a door there, hoping to find the hidden courtyard. Strangely, no one was about. One door led to a pile of cleaning buckets and mops and I stifled a laugh.
Undaunted, I exited back into the sunshine and walked up to an unlikely-looking grated door. A small metal plaque posted nearby announced the opening and closing times of the door. According to the stated hours, it should have been open, but it was locked. However, as I stepped up to peer through the grates, there proudly sitting on the other side was the elusive Tempietto!
Located on the Janiculum, one of Rome’s hills offering unobstructed views of the city’s domes and towers, this little temple of architectural perfection helped kick off the Renaissance. Built by Bramante in the early 1500’s, it is reminiscent of an ancient classical temple. It’s location is obscure. It took Gino and me two trips (three years apart) to finally find it. It hides behind a locked grated door within the small cloister of the church of San Pietro in Montorio, thought to be the site of Peter’s death. Despite the barred entrance, I did get my picture.
We gazed longingly, within reach, but not able to get any closer. Finally satisfied at having found our treasure, we finished our walk by continuing up the hill and winding back down and around to the main piazza. From there we fanned out, exploring other parts of Trastevere.
The afternoon was hot and we melted into a local pizzeria, opting to sit outside at a shaded table. The place was popular with the locals, and the reason was obvious: the food was squisito! Our adventure complete, we crossed back over the Tiber and back to our apartment. Mom and Dad decided to rest. Gino and I quickly regrouped and fell back into the streets of our Eternal City.
We headed off to an area that was working-class as well as artsy-crafty. Tucking away our map, we let our senses lead the way, following any beckoning sound, enticing aroma, a glimpse of some exciting promise around the corner. The darker and more narrow the alley, the more alluring. We saw woodworkers hammering away, Persian carpet repairers surrounded by colorful rugs hanging from walls, intent on their sewing machines, metal workers meticulously polishing their wares.
We stopped at a little store where Gino bought a bottle of Limoncello for next to nothing and a couple bottles of wonderful red wine for 2 and 3 Euros. A nearby collection of outdoor tables filled with laughing Romans drew us and we slipped among them, sipping glasses of vino while listening to the river of Italian language flow by. Across the vicolo (narrow alley), a building dripping with ivy cooled our eyes. When we were ready to return to our little corner of paradise, we had but to orient ourselves to the street signs and easily make our way back home.
We returned from our explorations with fortifications: cheese, olives, cookies, prosciutto, salami, vino. Mom and Dad snacked leisurely on the balcony for dinner, but Gino and I had it in mind to find a funky fish place near Campo dei Fiori that Rick Steves had described in his book. After a bit of a search, we finally found it: Filetti di Baccala. Long tables covered with paper were set up outside in a small piazza (Largo dei Librari), a lovely little church at one end. The menu was short. I ordered a side of anchovies, served, peculiarly, with a blob of butter to the side. We added breaded zucchini and the main course, breaded filets of cod.
We were seated next to a Roman couple, out for an evening of food and drink without their young children, who were staying with Grandma and Grandpa. The couple dove into their fish about the time we did, and we shared the bottle of vinegar. Two friendly French fellows in their 20’s were on the other side of the Roman couple. We all started chatting, batting words in French, Italian, and English back and forth.
In a festive mood, the Roman husband ordered Amaro for all, a digestivo he told us was particular to Rome. Amaro means bitter, which it wasn’t. We all toasted and tipped our glasses back. The conversation enlivened as we shared personal stories and political philosophies. The French guys announced it was their turn to order Amaro for all. Another toast and down the hatch.
We learned that one of the young French men had suffered a life-threatening illness a couple years back which completely changed his outlook on life. He realized that life is to live now and to the fullest and he was putting that new view to reality.
Gino and I decided that the Americans, having made such a bad showing to the world in general during these Bush years, could redeem ourselves a bit at this Roman table and so ordered the next round of Amaro.
We learned the ages and names of the Roman couple’s children, that the wife works at a gym, that the husband sells Harley Davidsons and expensive cars. We learned that he has always has a fascination for American Indians and their culture. Someone decided that Gino looked like Steven Segall and so he was called Steven throughout the night. By the end of the evening, we had exchanged email addresses with all.
As we teetered back through Campo dei Fiori, we waded through late-night revelers, passing restaurants brimming with hungry Romans, the statue of Giordano Bruno draped with chattering friends. This was a Tuesday night. La Dolce Vita without a doubt!
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Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest churches in Rome. Built in the late 3rd or early 4th century, it is thought to be the first church built in dedication to the Virgin Mary. While wandering around inside, I observed a young lady contemplatively sitting in a pew wearing a jacket with a huge pentacle on the back. A lovely incongruity.
Looking up at Santa Maria in Trastevere. The scene above the three statues is done in mosaic (12th century) and depicts Mary holding baby Jesus surrounded by ten women carrying lamps.
Doing the tourist thing in Trastevere. This octagonal fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere appeared in a map as early as 1472.
Built in 1927, this sweet little fountain can be found in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. Sporting a wine barrel on a cart with two typical serving receptacles on the sides, it honors the wine selling and buying tradition of this district.
Ancient stone plaques and pieces depicting early Christian symbolism adorn a wall of the portico outside the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest churches in Rome.
Peering into someone’s luscious courtyard on our way to Trastevere, we agreed it pays to be nosy.
Italy 2006
Melinda Trips 2007: Sicily and Peloponnese
Melinda takes you to Sicily and climbs a volcano. Wander through narrow, cobbled streets, seaside towns and ancient ruins on the Italian island of Sicily and the Greek Peloponnesian Peninsula at Melinda Trips 2007: Sicily and Peloponnese.Copyright
All posts and images on this blog are by Melinda Brovelli and copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution, Noncommercial, No Derivative Works License. Attribution should be to Melinda Brovelli with a link to Melinda Trips 2006: Italy.
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