Flumen Tiberis: The Tiber river is yours to discover!
We offer this tour of the Tiber with the hope of resuscitating the old river's dignity. The tawny Tiber saved Romulus and Remus, nurtured Rome in the first years of its existence, was the force behind Rome's commercial success, and was a constant, intimate presence in the life of Rome's inhabitants for hundreds of years.
This feeling of connection has been lost partially because of the Muraglioni, the large embankments that were built in the early 1900s to prevent the Tiber from flooding the city. The Muraglioni seemed like a good idea at the time. Italy had just become a republic, and Rome, its capital, could not continue being a victim of the river's regular watery pranks. The same embankments, however, drastically and incalculably separated the city from its former life support system.
This tour takes the traveler back in time, long before the embankments were built, to discover the original role of the Tiber. Explore the long relationship between the city and the river; how generations worked next to and upon it, drank and ate thanks to it, transported the goods of an empire on its back and relaxed on its shores.
We start at Ponte Umberto 1, near Piazza dei Tribunali, discussing the various names given to the river before the Romans settled on Tiber. In no time at all, we find ourselves in the shadow of Castel Sant'Angelo, once the somber tomb of the Emperor Hadrian, and later a fortress for the Vatican.
We cross Ponte Sant'Angelo--the same bridge that Hadrian ordered built in 130 A.D. in order to connect his mausoleum with the central part of Rome. We'll avoid the heavy traffic of Lungotevere and instead will stroll down the quieter Via Giulia to PonteSisto. As we go, we'll examine how street names and markers in the area reveal what occurred there in days gone by.
At Ponte Sisto we'll talk about the bustling ancient harbors that would have surrounded the now-sluggish river. Following the river downstream, we encounter the quaint Tiber Island. Here we linger to explore its strange origin, and the role it has played in health and healing, through the centuries and right up to today!
I like to introduce my tour company to three of the oldest bridges in Rome, two of which are still standing intact and proud! Engineers (and others) will enjoy learning about ancient Roman building techniques and materials.
The tour ends at the Cloaca Maxima--the main drain of the ancient Roman sewer system that ran under the Roman Forum to the Tiber. Definitely the architectural high point of Roman ingenuity! From here you can visit the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the Bocca della Verita. This medieval lie detector (it would supposedly bite the arm off liars) used to be the Cloaca Maxima's manhole cover!
No entrance fees
Note: Discover a river that few people succeed in imagining! Bring a camera because we've planned this itinerary to keep you out of the traffic and on some of Rome's most lovely side streets.
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