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Studying in Trastevere: Piazza di Santa Maria

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#week3 Early morning, late afternoon, or hours deep into the night, you will find friends, lovers and tourists gathering to have a panino or suppli , or bask in the Roman light upon the steps of the fountain in Piazza di Santa Maria. More accurately, you will find students from around the world congregate here for an afternoon of studying and catching up. John Cabot University and the American University of Rome are two of the most popular universities in the Trastevere region, though this neighborhood across the river is a meeting place for students in schools sprawled across the city. Students from Temple University, Sapienza, and if caught in the late afternoon, high schoolers meeting for a post- lezione cigarette will happily repose here. With it's golden hue and rich history, it is impossible to miss the educative and communal energy this square resonates.   Basilica di Santa Maria, or in English, "Our Lady of Trastevere" , the church dominating la piazza, was const...
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Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere

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 A single hexagonal fountain sits amidst a large sea of cobblestones, the square expanding widely to a fantastic golden church and many negozi at the piazza's perimeter. Early morning, late afternoon, or hours deep into the night, you will find friends, lovers and tourists gathering to have a panino or suppli, do homework or bask in the Roman light upon the steps of the fountain in Piazza di Santa Maria.  Basilica di Santa Maria, or in English, "Our Lady of Trastevere" (not a literal translation) was constructed around 1140, and is known to be one of the oldest churches in Rome. Originally, a Christian house-church was built here around  220 by Pope Saint Callixtus  I   on the site of the  Taberna meritoria , a refuge for retired soldiers. It was later owned by Emperor Alexander Severus, the same who build the Baths of Nero, and over the centuries, had its owners names continuously evolving. However, the remains of Saint Callixtus are said to be buried unde...
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Piazza di Sant'Eustachio

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It's still early in Rome and light passes over its warmly hued walls, reflects from the antlers of a deer head atop Chiesa Sant'Eustachio, the cross of the Holy Roman Catholic Church resting between them. Small cafes scattered around the building dwindle open, elderly locals gathering outside to play cards in the small, diamond shaped piazza. Pigeons dawdle to and from their chairs in hopes of breakfast.  Piazza Sant"Eustachio  is located on Via di Sant'Eustachio,  a block west of the  Pantheon and via della Rotonda. Though located just a minute walk beside the unmissable Pantheon di Roma, the sight feels quite local and hidden as the area is often overpassed by tourists, an easily missed corner of the city.  Piazza Sant' Eustachio is named after the medieval monument founded in the 8th century. Before being founded as a church, it's medieval name was  Regio Sancti Eustachii et Vinee Tedemarii , referring to a cultivated vineyard owned by a...
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