Calisto B&B, Rome Trastevere

Spotless 3BR / 2BA B&B just around the corner from Santa Maria in Trastevere square

Not to be missed:

Sites and Monuments:

Santa Maria in Trastevere - This basilica rises up in the heart of Trastevere, on the square of the same name. This was the first church in Rome dedicated to Virgin Mary, the floorplan and wall structure of Santa Maria in Trastevere dates back to the 340s AD though this basilica has been added onto several times over the centuries. The present construction dates from 1130-43. The front, with XII and XIII cent. Mosaics and fine Romanesque bell-tower is reached via a portico under which are various marble and funeral tablets.
The interior has a nave and two aisles on large ancient trabeated granite columns, a Cosmatesque pavement and a rich wooden roof. In the Presbitery, closed by a marble surround, a mark indicates the place where, according to legend, oil spurted out on the day of Christ’s birth. The apse features gorgeous, large and important mosaics by Pietro Cavallini * dating back 1140. The mosaics of the Virgin and the ten saintly women lining the exterior give way to a sea of gold and marble inside. Not to be missed the 12^th- century mosaics in the apse and the chancel arch depict Jesus, Mary, full of Byzantine detail.

The museum of Roman Folklore and the Romanesque Poets, is in the nearby Piazza St. Egidio, with part of the collection previously displayed in the Braschi Palace.

At Piazza Trilussa take the Sixtus Bridge, rebuilt by Baccio Pontelli under Sixtus IV (1474) and reach the Centro Storico, Piazza Farnese, Piazza Campo dé Fiori and Piaza Navona.

Via della Lungara – Long road of Renaissance Rome, opened under Julius II, between the Septimius Gate in the Aurelian wall and the S. Spirito Gate, by A. Sangallo the Younger (1540). Palazzo Corsini is at n. 10, and in front of it the famous Farnesina.

Palazzo Corsini (Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica) - The Palace is now the headquarter of Accademia dei Lincei, famous cultural institute founded in 1603. The 1^st floor of the palace houses part of National Gallery collection including a valuable collection of Italian and foreign works of the XVII and XVIII cents.: paintings by Caravaggio, G. Reni, Guercino, L. Giordano, Canaletto, Valentin, van Laer, Rubens, van Dyck, Murillo, and so on.

Farnesina - The Villa, one of the architectural jewels of the Renaissance, all grace and harmony, was built by Francesco Peruzzi (1508-11) for the Senese banker Agostino Chigi, who received Popes, cardinals, princes and artists there; in 1580 it passed to the Farnese family. On the ground floor a visit should be made to the Gallery, which has a beautifully painted vault (Story of Psyche) by Raphael (1517), B. Peruzzi (Constellations) and Sebastiano del Piombo (Polyphemus and scenes of the metamorphosis). On the 1^st floor, the Hall of Architectural Perspectives, painted by B. Peruzzi and helpers; in the bedroom, Marriage of Alexander and Rossana, a beautiful fresco by Sodoma. The Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe (National Collection of Prints) is also in the palace, Italian and foreign prints from XV to XIX cent..

Passeggiata del Gianicolo: Walk then through Via Garibaldi and reach the summit. After the Pincio, this is the most beautiful and romantique walk in Rome. From the square look down over all of Rome’s monuments: a true Rome’s postcard and a stunning panorama.

S. Pietro in Montorio - The Church of St. Peter is built where, according to tradition, St. Peter was crucified, and was rebuilt in simple Renaissance. The interior, a single nave with chapels and niches, contains various works of art: amongst them the Flagellation, by Sebastiano del Piombo, Deposition, by the Caravaggio-esque Dirck van Baburen (1617). In the small court on the right of the church the Tempietto of Bramante, a beautifual combination of Renaissance and Classical architecture. This is an elegant circular building with a ring of columns and cupola, of classic simplicity and monumentality (1502). A hole in the chapel below is said to be where the cross of St. Peter was fixed.

Botanical Garden – Filled with well-labeled specimens of trees and flowers, the gardens remain green and luxuriant even when the rest of Rome is dull and brown. The remarkable assemblage of flora stretches from valleys of ferns through groves of bamboo to a hilltop Japanise Garden.

Restaurants:
Augusto:
P. dé Renzi, 15. North of P.S. Maria in Trastevere. Enjoy the daily pasta specials at lunch, the pasta alla matriciana, pasta e fagioli and the pollo arrosto con patate. Be prepared at long lines. No reservations.

Pizzerie:
Dar Poeta:
Vicolo del Bologna, 45-46. From Piazza S. Egidio, head down V. della Scala and turn right. Hardly a tourist in sight. Several types of bruschetta and pizzas amid the old favourites. Save room for the desserts and especially for calzone filled with nutella!!

San Callisto:
Piazza San Calisto, 9a – Off S. Maria in Trastevere. Great pizza but long, long waits for a table. Great thin crust pizzas so large they hang off the plates. The bruschetta alone is worth a postcard home.

Bars:

Bar San Callisto: Piazza San Calisto. One of the most authentic and unpretentious bar of Trastevere. Low prices, good coffe, ice coffe (granita) and ice-creams (try zabaione and cioccolata with double cream). No frills.

Pubs:
Enoteca Trastevere: Via della Lungaretta, 86. A fine wine bar offering great variety of wines by the glass. Large list of beers, cocktails and fine spirits.

Ombre Rosse Caffè: Piazza Sant’Egidio, 12. A sit outside place and people watch. Wine by glass, cocktails, pint of beer.