The Trastevere Rome Neighborhood: Rione XIII
Trastevere is the part of Rome you reach by crossing the river, and its name says exactly that. It has no gate and no single sight that defines it. What it has is a grid of lanes, a handful of piazzas and a strong sense of itself. Choosing a rome food tour trastevere? Know the quarter first and the routes make sense.
Trans Tiberim: where Trastevere is and what the name means
The name is Latin: trans Tiberim, “across the Tiber”. You stand on the west bank, with the Gianicolo hill rising behind you and the centro storico facing you over the water. Officially it is Rione XIII of Rome, one of the historic districts, and it sits inside Municipio I with the rest of the old city.
Two bridges carry most people in. Ponte Sisto brings you on foot from Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Trilussa. From the Ghetto side you cross to Tiber Island and then over Ponte Cestio. The quarter is compact: you can walk its length in well under an hour, so everything you read about below is close to everything else.
From Regio XIV to Rione XIII: a timeline
The west bank has been a separate place in Roman minds for two thousand years. Under Augustus it was a region of its own. It later became the rione you walk through now. Most of the dates below are ones you can see on the ground.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Augustus | Rome is divided into fourteen regions; the west bank, with the Gianicolo and Tiber Island, becomes Regio XIV Transtiberim |
| Antiquity | The quarter houses river workers and immigrant communities, chiefly Jews and Syrians |
| 1138–1143 | Innocent II rebuilds Santa Maria in Trastevere as the church you see today |
| 1291 | Pietro Cavallini's mosaics of the Life of the Virgin go up in its apse |
| 1473–1479 | Ponte Sisto is built for Pope Sixtus IV, joining the quarter to Via dei Pettinari |
| 1610–1614 | The Fontana dell'Acqua Paola is built on the Gianicolo for Pope Paul V |
| 24 January 1904 | The noon cannon first fires from the Gianicolo |
| 1952–1954 | Piazza Ponte Sisto is renamed Piazza Trilussa; the poet's monument is unveiled on 22 December 1954 |
| Today | Trastevere is Rione XIII of Rome, inside Municipio I, postcode 00153 |
The pattern holds throughout. Trastevere was where people who worked the river lived, and where newcomers to Rome settled. That is still how the quarter talks about itself.
The Noantri: the people who call it home
Trasteverini have their own word for themselves: Noantri, from the Roman noi altri, “we others”. It marks the people across the river as distinct from the rest of the city. You will hear it, and you will see it on posters every summer.
The word names the quarter's festival too. The Festa de' Noantri falls in the second half of July. At its heart is the statue of the Madonna del Carmine, called the Madonna Fiumarola. Fishermen are said to have found it at the mouth of the Tiber in 1535. It is kept at the church of Sant'Agata and carried through the streets in procession.
The piazzas that organise the quarter
Trastevere has no main street you are meant to follow. It is organised by its squares, and once you know five of them you will not get lost.
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
The centre of the quarter, with the gold mosaics of Santa Maria in Trastevere on its facade and a fountain in the middle. Most walks pass through it, and it is where you will want to sit when your tour is over.
Piazza Trilussa
The square at the foot of Ponte Sisto, named in 1952 for the Roman dialect poet Trilussa. His monument by Lorenzo Ferri stands here. Several tours meet on its steps.
Piazza di San Cosimato
A broad, everyday square south of Santa Maria, with market stalls, a playground and far fewer visitors. Some food walks finish their tastings here.
Piazza di San Calisto
The small square that opens off Piazza di Santa Maria. You cross it on the way between the basilica and Viale di Trastevere.
Piazza di Sant'Egidio
A quiet square a minute from Santa Maria, home to the Museo di Roma in Trastevere, which is open Tuesday to Sunday.
The two sides of Viale di Trastevere
A broad avenue, Viale di Trastevere, cuts the quarter in two, and tram 8 runs down it. The two sides feel different, and it helps to know which one your tour uses.
The Santa Maria side
North-west of the Viale. Piazza Trilussa, Piazza di Santa Maria, Via della Scala and Via della Lungara, with Villa Farnesina and the climb to the Gianicolo behind. This is the busier half, especially after dark, and most first-time visitors never leave it.
The Santa Cecilia side
South-east of the Viale, towards the river. Santa Cecilia, San Francesco a Ripa, Via dei Vascellari and, on Sundays, the Porta Portese market. It is quieter and more residential, and the twilight food walk spends much of its route here.
You cross the Viale at a traffic light, and it takes a minute. Still, a tour that stays on one side gives you a different evening from one that covers both.
How the tours use the neighborhood
Not every tour that carries Trastevere in its name spends its time here. Some walk the lanes for four hours. Others arrive for a final tasting, or drive past on the way somewhere else. Read this table before you book, then check the meeting line on the tour itself.
| Kind of tour | Where in Trastevere it spends its time | How it gets in |
|---|---|---|
| Evening food walks | The lanes on both sides of Viale di Trastevere, with a seated course at the end | Meet on Tiber Island or in Piazza Trilussa and walk in |
| Food walks from across the river | The last stretch: Santa Maria, San Cosimato and a final tasting | Start at Campo de' Fiori or Piazza Farnese, cross Ponte Sisto or Tiber Island |
| Cooking classes | A single kitchen: by San Giovanni della Malva, on Via Garibaldi, or on Via Roma Libera | Meet at the door or in the square in front of it |
| Wine tastings | One wine bar on Via della Scala | Meet inside |
| History walks | Via della Lungara, Villa Farnesina, Santa Maria and Santa Cecilia | Meet at the villa or in Piazza Trilussa |
| Walks that add the Ghetto | Piazza Trilussa and Piazza di Santa Maria, then over the river | Leave over Tiber Island |
| Sidecar, Fiat 500 and driver days | The Gianicolo terrace, or a stop in the quarter, or only a drive past | By vehicle, from elsewhere in Rome |
Know which part of the quarter you want? Pick the tour that walks it.
Each tour card says how much of Trastevere it covers, where it meets and what the fare puts on the table.
Evenings, crowds and the night ZTL
Trastevere is busiest between about eight and midnight, when the restaurant tables fill the lanes. Piazza Trilussa and the streets around Santa Maria are the most crowded, and on a Friday or Saturday night you will be walking slowly. Keep your bag closed and your phone in a front pocket, as you would anywhere busy in central Rome.
The quarter is also a limited-traffic zone. Private cars are barred on weekday mornings, Monday to Saturday from 6:30 to 10:00, and at night on Fridays and Saturdays from 21:30 to 3:00. From May to October the night ban extends to Wednesdays and Thursdays, and it is lifted in August. Taxis are exempt, so a cab can bring you in after dinner.
Next: see what to go inside on things to do in Trastevere, cross the river with the Jewish Ghetto page, or compare every fare on Trastevere Rome Tours.