Trastevere

What makes it special

The apse of Santa Maria in Trastevere is what you cross the river for. In the half dome, gold tiles in the Byzantine manner show the Coronation of the Virgin, with Christ and Mary enthroned. Pope Innocent II is there too, holding a model of the church he had rebuilt.

Below the half dome runs a band of six scenes from the Life of the Virgin by Pietro Cavallini, dated 1291, and these smaller panels are the ones to slow down for. Look at the colour and the foreshortening, which give the figures a depth the gold above does not have. Cavallini was already moving Roman painting away from the flat Byzantine style.

On the triumphal arch framing the apse, the mosaics show scenes from the Apocalypse. Turn round before you leave: twenty-two ancient granite columns of different widths divide the three naves, and the ceiling above them deserves a look too.

Outside, the facade mosaic shows the Madonna nursing the Child between ten women holding lamps.

Visiting

Easiest of all is to walk in from the historic centre over Ponte Sisto, which puts you at the edge of the lanes. From there, wander without a fixed route towards Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere. Viale Trastevere, the main road, is never far off if you lose your bearings.

Go into the basilica first and walk straight up the nave to the apse, then work back to the columns and the ceiling. Afterwards, take a drink over to the fountain in the piazza and try for a seat there.

For the evening, watch the sunset from the top of the Janiculum hill, then walk down into the lanes. Begin the night with an aperitivo before dinner.

Tips

Choose a hotel in Trastevere with care, because the noise in the streets does not let up until well past midnight.

Piazza Trilussa gets crowded, so keep an eye on your bag and phone there, since pickpockets work it. For a quiet version of the square, come in the morning.