Private Walking Tour: Jewish Quarter & Trastevere - Uncover Rome's History & Culture

Highlights

• Jewish Quarter
• Medieval Trastevere
• Historic Sites

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Teatro di Marcello

   15min

   Theatre of Marcellus (outside) The Theatre of Marcellus (Latin: Theatrum Marcelli, Italian: Teatro di Marcello) is an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. At the theatre, locals and visitors alike were able to watch performances of drama and song. Today its ancient edifice in the rione of Sant'Angelo, Rome, once again provides one of the city's many popular spectacles or tourist sites. Space for the theatre was cleared by Julius Caesar, who was murdered before its construction could begin; the theatre was advanced enough by 17 BC that part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares took place within the theatre; it was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus,[1] named after his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus who had died in 23 BC.

2. 2

   Piazza Mattei

   15min

   Piazza Mattei In the centre of the small square is one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome: the Fountain of Turtles, built in the second half of the 16th century to a design by Giacomo Della Porta and with bronze sculptures by Taddeo Landini. In the centre of the basin at ground level, a decorated pedestal supports four African marble shells that receive water from dolphins, on which four Ephebians rest their feet in the act of pushing four turtles towards the edge of the marble basin. The turtles, probably added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1658 following the restoration carried out on the fountain at the time of Pope Alexander VII Chigi (1655-1667), were the object of repeated thefts as in 1906, 1944 and, recently, 1981. The turtles currently visible are copies of the originals preserved, in number of three surviving specimens, in the Capitoline Museums.

3. 3

   Antico Quartiere Ebraico

   15min

   Portico di Ottavia The Porticus Octaviae (Portico of Octavia; Italian: Portico di Ottavia) is an ancient structure in Rome. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina, as well as a library. The structure was used as a fish market from the medieval period up to the end of 19th century.

4. 4

   Antico Quartiere Ebraico

   15min

   Synagogue (outside) Designed by Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni, the synagogue was built from 1901 to 1904 on the banks of the Tiber, overlooking the former ghetto. It contains elements of Assyrian-Babylonian, Egyptian and Greco-Roman architecture. The interior of the synagogue is lavishly decorated in the Art Nouveau style.

5. 5

   Ponte Rotto

   15min

   Ponte Rotto It is commonly known as Ponte Rotto (Broken Bridge) but the great arch with a decadent and poetic aspect that emerges from the waters of the Tiber, not far from the Tiber Island, is actually what remains of the ancient Pons Aemilius, made of wood in the 2nd century BC and reconstructed of stone a century later.

6. 6

   Pont Fabricius

   15min

   Ponte Fabricio The Pons Fabricius (Italian: Ponte Fabricio, "Fabrician Bridge") or Ponte dei Quattro Capi, is the oldest Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, still existing in its original state.[1] Built in 62 BC, it spans half of the Tiber River, from the Campus Martius on the east side to Tiber Island in the middle (the Pons Cestius is west of the island). Quattro Capi ("four heads") refers to the two marble pillars of the two-faced Janus herms on the parapet, which were moved here from the nearby Church of St Gregory (Monte Savello) in the 14th century.

7. 7

   Isola Tiberina

   15min

   Tiber Island The Tiber Island (Italian: Isola Tiberina, Latin: Insula Tiberina) is the only river island in the part of the Tiber which runs through Rome. Tiber Island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber. The island is boat-shaped, approximately 270 metres (890 feet) long and 67 metres (220 feet) wide, and has been connected with bridges to both sides of the river since antiquity. Being a seat of the ancient temple of Asclepius and later a hospital, the island is associated with medicine and healing. The Fatebenefratelli Hospital founded in the 16th century, and the San Bartolomeo all'Isola dating from the 10th century are located on the island.

8. 8

   Trastevere

   15min

   Trastevere District rastevere (Italian pronunciation: [trasˈteːvere])[1] is the 13th rione of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin trans Tiberim, literally beyond the Tiber. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lion on a red background, the meaning of which is uncertain.

Before you go

Location