Rome’s Medieval Village: A Trastevere Walking Tour

(240 reviews)

Rome audio tour: Rome’s Medieval Village: A Trastevere Walking Tour

This is a 1.9mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Rome

Italy

$11.99

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About the Tour

What do you get when you combine the buzz of a young, international capital with the quaint alleyways and characteristic architecture of a medieval Italian village?

You get Trastevere.

This neighborhood apart (Trastevere literally means “beyond the Tiber”) is home to a mixture of artists, expats, students, and working-class families, and is very different to the other side of the river with its baroque excess.

On this walking tour, from Piazza Trilussa to Piazza in Piscinula, you’ll wander through Trastevere’s maze of winding, ivy-draped streets, past medieval churches and buildings that look like they haven’t changed in a thousand years.

Around every corner, I’ll share the area’s artistic treasures and historical curiosities, from the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere (one of the city’s most beautiful churches) to Fontana della Botte (the fountain that pays homage to the area’s taverns and eateries).

You’ll also find some of the city’s best family-owned food shops and authentic restaurants including Ristorante da Gildo with its traditional pastas, Antica Caciara which sells cured meats and cheese, and Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti, purveyors of delicious cookies.

On this Rome tour, you’ll have a chance to:

Discover what sets Trastevere apart from the rest of the city
Peek inside its most important churches, including Chiesa di Santa Maria della Scala and Cortile Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
Find out where St Francis of Assisi stayed in Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa in 1209
Learn how to spot medieval architecture and what to look for when choosing a place to eat
Stroll along picturesque and historic squares, from Piazza Cercanti and Piazza Mastai, to Piazza di San Calisto
Take in one of the city’s oldest pharmacies, Antica Farmacia S Maria della Scala
See San Benedetto in Piscinula, one of the best-preserved (and tiniest) medieval churches in the city
Get tips on where to find artistic masterpieces by Bernini, Cavallini, and Stefano Maderno
Hang out at the most popular coffee bar with young Trastevere locals

Come along with me on this Trastevere walking tour as I share my favorite corners of the charming and vibrant neighborhood where I lived for 12 years, from famous works of art in its glorious piazzas to hidden treasures tucked away down unexplored backstreets.

Whether you’re a passionate foodie, a medieval art-lover, or just looking for a relaxing stroll through the quaintest neighborhood in town, this tour is for you.

Tour Producer

Tiffany Parks

2 tours

Ciao! I’m Tiffany Parks, a tour guide, travel consultant, published author, and host of The Bittersweet Life podcast. I have lived in Rome for over two decades and my passion is sharing this amazing city’s history, art, and monuments with inquisitive visitors. I’m a born storyteller, whether it be through books for young readers, podcasts for aspiring expats, or guided tours for curious travelers. My first book, Midnight in the Piazza, is an art mystery for Middle Grade readers, published by HarperCollins Children's in 2018. I am currently working on a Young Adult historical thriller trilogy set in Italy in 1600. The first book in the series, Saving Caravaggio, was awarded the PEN America/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. I co-host and co-produce The Bittersweet Life, a weekly podcast about the joys and challenges of the expat experience. I am a widely published travel writer, with credits at Sydney Morning Herald, The Wall Street Journal's expat blog, Where Rome magazine, and several DK Eye Witness travel guides. In my free time, I’m a Caravaggio-chaser, an opera enthusiast, and an insatiable traveler.

Preview Location

Location 13

Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere

You’re now walking through Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, the true heart of the neighborhood, and a meeting place for the many young people who flock here after the sun goes down. Take a seat on the steps of the fountain and rest your feet while I tell you about it.

[10 ... You’re now walking through Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, the true heart of the neighborhood, and a meeting place for the many young people who flock here after the sun goes down. Take a seat on the steps of the fountain and rest your feet while I tell you about it.

[10 second pause]

This large fountain with steps on all sides provides a convenient spot for people-watching, reading a book, listening to one of the many buskers that are often performing here, or simply waiting for your date. The fountain itself is, according to some, the oldest in the city. Although the present construction is no more than 500 years old, there has been a fountain on this spot since the time of Emperor Augustus.

Today, the piazza is dominated by the large medieval church, Santa Maria in Trastevere. In ancient times, it was the location of a hospice for wounded soldiers and veterans. On this site, according to legend, a font of pure oil miraculously bubbled up from the ground on the night of Christ’s birth, flowing for an entire day and night and eventually reaching the river. A few hundred years later, between the 3rd and 4th centuries, the earliest version of the church was built on the site where the miracle took place. A marker near the high altar indicates the spot at which the oil supposedly appeared.

You might notice that the church has a very different appearance to many of the others in the city, whose facades were rebuilt in the ornamental baroque style during the 1600s. Santa Maria in Trastevere, on the other hand—by most accounts the first church ever dedicated to the Virgin—maintains its medieval character, complete with 13th-century mosaics on the facade and a Romanesque bell tower, although the columned portico and statues were added in 1702. The present structure dates mostly to a 12th-century reconstruction, although the floor plan and some of the walls are original to the 3rd-century church.

I highly recommend visiting what I consider one of the most beautiful and historically interesting churches in the city. Don’t miss the 22 ancient granite columns that separate the naves, despoiled from ancient temples and bath complexes, the spectacular 13th-century apse mosaics by Pietro Cavallini, depicting stories of the life of the Virgin, and above them, early 12th-century byzantine-style mosaics featuring a rare depiction of Christ seated on a double throne beside the Virgin Mary.

If its open and you decide to visit now, simply end the tour and resume when you're done.

[5 second pause]

When you’re ready to move on, turn so your back is to the church.

Walk to the top right-hand corner of the square. That's the diagonally opposite side of the square from where you entered. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Porta Settimiana
Piazza Trilussa
Polpetta Trastevere
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Scala
Antica Farmacia S. Maria della Scala
Piazza di San Egidio
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Piazza di San Calisto
Fontana della Botte
Piazza di San Cosimato
Antica Caciara
Piazza di San Francesco d'Assisi
Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa
Piazza Mastai
Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti
Arco dei Tolomei
Casa Medioevale (ex Sinagoga)
Piazza di Santa Cecilia
Cortile santa Cecilia in trastevere
Piazza Mercanti
Casa di Santa Francesca Romana
Church of Saint Benedict 'in Piscinula'
Piazza in Piscinula

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Piazza Trilussa, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Total distance

3km
Final location
Piazza Sidney Sonnino, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Distance back to start location

446.73m

Directions to Starting Point

Piazza Trilussa, 00153 Roma RM

You can take the 23 or 280 bus from the Vatican; the 8 tram or 780 bus from Piazza Venezia or the H bus from Termini (plus a 5-minute walk west along Lungotevere Raffaello Sanzio); or stroll from the city center and cross the river at Ponte Sisto, a highly enjoyable walk. There are no metro stops nearby.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Bir and Fud (Via Benedetta) for pizza and craft beer, Da Gildo (Via della Scala) for authentic Roman cuisine, Antica Caciara (Via San Francesco a Ripa) for excellent cheese and cured meats, Innocenzi (Via della Luce) for freshly baked cookies.

Best time of day

Avoid the middle of the day in summer, when walking through the city can be unpleasant. Also, if you plan to visit the churches, keep in mind that some close between roughly noon and 4pm (and keep in mind you’ll need to have knees and shoulders covered).

Precautions

Roman drivers are notoriously reckless, so take care when crossing busy streets and when walking on streets without sidewalks. Avoid anyone trying to sell you anything on the street and beware of pickpockets.

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