Italy: Rome – Trastevere by Day
The Centro Storico (Central Old Town) of Rome may be packed with attractions, but it’s also jammed to the rim with tourists – even restaurants and tour touts have learned phrases in Chinese and Russian and are not afraid to use them on every passing tourist with a camera. To see the real authentic Rome, I was told to venture across the Tiber River to the neighborhood of Trastevere (literally meaning “across the river”). To be honest, coming at midday, it was less then impressive and “bohemian” – graffiti-covered walls projected more a neglected rather then “authentic” feeling. But still, it was different from the craziness of Rome across the river – here, narrow cobblestone alleyways and old historic buildings begged for exploration, while coffee tasted fantastic on the central square across the Trastevere Cathedral.
