Trastevere: the Festa de' Noantri

Every year Trastevere celebrate the Festa de' Noantri (our festival), a traditional festivity for the people of the rione. The celebration takes place on the second half of July. As a kid, I remember Trastevere all embellished and with many stalls along Viale Trastevere, and a big marry-go-round on Piazza Mastai.

Today the celebration is limited, nevertheless during this time, Trastevere, which is one of the most characteristic and still colourful ancient district across the Tiber River from the main historic center of Rome, became a destination for many tourists and for the locals.

Originally the Festa began in 1927. Even so, its routes can be back dated to 1535, when a fisherman caught in his nets a statue of the Virgin Mary in the Tiber. After the event the statue, nicknamed Madonna Fiumarola (of the river) was donated to the Carmelite nuns of San Crisogono (in Piazza Sonnino) in Trastavere and became the patron saint of the district.

Today the statue is in the Church of St Agatha, in Largo San Giovanni de Matha, in Trastevere. Replaced during the XXth century by another statue, which will takes bride of place during this festivity, the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel is taken around and followed by believers and curious on the Saturday following July 16th.

This year the Madonna will be carried with great pageantry from Saint Agatha to the church of San Crisogono in Trastevere, where it stays just over a week, before being carried back to Saint Agatha's.

On the last night Trastevere has big fire works, therefore if you are in the area during this period don't miss the occasion!

A presto!

Before Bernini: St. Cecilia of Stefano Maderno

St. Cecilia by Stefano Maderno
photo by Giorgio

In the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, on the other side of the more crowded side of Viale Trastevere, there is one sculpture among all those produced in Rome at the beginning of the XVII century, which indicates the direction in which art would go, St. Cecilia. Cardinal Paolo Emilio Sfondato commissioned the work to Stefano Maderno, after the tomb of the saint was opened in 1599.

Maderno, originally from Ticino, executed the sculpture for the Holy Year of 1600. The artist aims straight at the beholder's emotions in a way that Bernini and Caravaggio were to perfect. In fact, the realism of the sculpture works as an emotional appeal to the piety of the believer and is an impressive visualization of one of the central aspects of the Catholic Reformation, the cult of early Christian saints.

St. Cecilia represents something of innovative, a departure point for all those artists such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who created works which today will still enjoy in churches and public spaces around Rome.

A presto!

Where in Rome?

Ponte Sisto, Rome by Simona Albanese

Trastevere, this is my choice. I grow up here, in this wonderful part of the city of Rome. From here you are very close to the Vatican City, as well as to the centre. In fact, just crossing Ponte Sisto, one of the many bridges of Rome, you leave Trastevere, the Rione number XIII, to reach Via dei Pettinari and Via Giulia, to then carry on towards Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona.

 

Trastevere is a place full of life, restaurants and little shops, as well as historical buildings and amazing secret churches with astonishing artworks. You can spend an entire day just running around the little alleys, visiting the little corners, to then have dinner in one of the many local places.

If you want to know more just follow my blog and you will see my photos when I will be in Rome next week!
If you like Italian art then come to my art workshops! and if you want to practise Italian just get in touch!


A presto!

Vicolo del Cedro

In the heart of Trastevere, Rione XIII, not far from Santa Maria in Trastevere.

on Vicolo del Cedro

From Vicolo del Cedro you can easily reach the Janiculum Hill, the steps are a short cut and I like to walk along there with my son, who loves to stop and drink in one of the old Roman public "fontanelle"

Lorenzo in Vicolo del Cedro

So maybe next time you are in Rome, take a short cut and have a look around the back streets of Trastevere!

A presto!

Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli

Just across Ponte Garibaldi, entering into Trastevere, you arrive to Piazza Gioacchino Belli where there is the monument dedicated to Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli (March 7, 1791 - December 21, 1863), a great poet of Rome. He is remembered for his vivid popular poetry in the Roman dialect - thousands of satirical sonnets that form an invaluable document of 19th century's papal Rome and the life of its common, humbler people.

Here one of Belli's poetry:


La Bocca della Verita' (italiano)


In d'una chiesa sopra a 'na piazzetta
Un po' ppiù ssù de Piazza Montanara
Pe la strada che pporta a la Salara,
C'è in nell'entrà una cosa benedetta.

Pe ttutta Roma quant'è larga e stretta
Nun poterai trovà cosa ppiù rara.
È una faccia de pietra che tt'impara
Chi ha detta la bucìa, chi nu l'ha detta.

S'io mo a sta faccia, c'ha la bocca uperta,
Je ce metto una mano, e nu la striggne
La verità da me ttiella pe certa.

Ma ssi fficca la mano uno in bucìa,
Èssi sicuro che a tirà né a spiggne
Quella mano che lì nun viè ppiù via.


The mouth of truth (English version)


In a church, in a small square
Shortly after Montanara Square [2] ,
Along the road leading to the salt-works,
As soon as you enter there's something holy.

In all Rome far and wide
You could not find something as rare as that.
It's a face of stone, which tells
Who is a lier and who is not.

If in the mouth of this statue, which is open,
I insert my hand and it does not clasp it,
Consider my truth as most reliable.

But if a lier inserts his hand
Be sure that, push or pull,
That hand won't come out. 

Trilussa: a Roman poet

In Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere, not far from Ponte Sisto, there is the monument to Carlo Alberto Salustri, nicknamed Trilussa (1871-1950), another famous poet of Rome for his sonnets.

Trilussa


On the plaque, next his bust , one of his most famous sonnets:



Here the translation:

IN THE SHADE

While reading the usual newspaper,
snuggling in the shade of a haystack
I notice a hog, and I say: - see you, pig! -
I notice a donkey and I say: - see you, jackass! -
Maybe these animals won't understand me,
but at least I feel satisfied
with the opportunity of saying how things are for real
without the fear of landing in jail.

Next week I will see this in person on my daily walk!!!

The Beata Ludovica Albertoni by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

When you walk along Trastevere, you are amazed by the amount of Churches surrounding the area, including Santa Cecilia and Santa Maria in Trastevere. Between all of them there is a little church, San Francesco a Ripa, far from the view of everyone, easy to reach but not so highly frequented by the tourists, because on the other side of Viale Trastevere.

Here, at the far end on the left inside, walking towards the altar you find the Cappella Altieri, for which Gian Lorenzo Bernini produced one of his latest works: the Beata Ludovica Albertoni (1671-74), a dramatic, mystic marriage and death.

Here Bernini allegorized the redeeming, fiery love of Christ’s sacred heart with the two hearts which flank Ludovica’s body like guardian figures and her burning, consuming devotion. 

During the seventeenth-century Catholic devotion, the fire of sacred love and burning devotion, death and union with the divine were seen as an extended metaphor of fire, flame and consumption. God's love was in the blessed Ludovica, who became a widow in 1506. She  joined the Franciscan Order as a tertiary and spent her family fortune on charity, exhausting her health taking care of the poor and undertaking penitential practices such as fasting. 

As always Bernini has shown his magistry and ability in representing this work, which was commissioned by Cardinal Paluzzi degli Albertoni.  

My family restaurant: Mario's a Trastevere

While going through my photographs last night I have found a bunch of photographs done at my family restaurant at the beginning of December last year, when Christmas was already in the air and the children where so happy to spend time with my family, aunties, "nonno", "nonna" and brother.

It is amazing how time goes fast and how important it is to share this beautiful moments with the people you love the most!!!

My mum and Valentina

Zia Vanda

My dad

Zia Lina

Lorenzo

Valentina and zio Luca

Valentina, zio Luca and Lorenzo

Happy Lorenzo

So if you go to Italy during this Christmas holiday and you think to have some genuine Italian food go and have something to eat there at Trastevere and tell my mum, Rosalba, that I send you there.

The "trattoria" will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Buon appetito!

Pizza and bread

Not far from my parents restaurant in Via del Moro, in Trastevere, we have a friend called Pippo, who make a fantastic pizza and wonderful bread, used for the restaurant customers.

Pizza made by a friend in Via del Moro 

The fresh bread

The art of making bread for Mario's restaurant

Photos by Giorgio Albanese

This is one of the things I really miss....some good bread!!