Modern-day Trastevere
Nowadays, Trastevere maintains its character thanks to its narrow cobbled streets lined by medieval houses. At night, both natives and tourists alike flock to its many pubs and restaurants. However, much of the original character of Trastevere remains. The area is also home to John Cabot University, a private American University, the American Academy in Rome, and the Rome campus of the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, the Canadian University of Waterloo School of Architecture (between the months of September and December), and the American Pratt Institute School of Architecture therefore serving as home to an international student body.
The unique character of this neighborhood has attracted artists, foreign expats, and many famous people. In the sixties and seventies, the American musicians/composers Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum, of the group Musica Elettronica Viva, lived in Via della Luce. Sergio Leone, the director of Spaghetti Westerns, grew up in Viale Glorioso (there is a marble plaque to his memory on the wall of the apartment building), and went to a Catholic private school in the neighborhood. Ennio Morricone, the film music composer, went to the same school, and for one year was in the same class as Sergio Leone.

See

• Santa Maria in Trastevere, Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, +39 06 581 4802. One of the oldest churches in the city. The nave is lined with a mismatched collection of columns taken from ancient Roman buildings. The apse is covered in gold mosaics from the 13th century, arguably the finest mosaics in the city. Impressive mosaics also on the front.

• Church of Santa Cecilia. Very ornately done and beautiful inside, but don't expect any information in English. All information panels are only in Italian. It's still a beautiful site though even if you don't read Italian.

• Isola Tiberina. This is the island located in the middle of the Tiber River (Il Fiume Tevere) that separates Central Rome and Trastevere. It boasts both a major hospital, called Fatebenefratelli, and a small synagogue that was secretly used in the Second World War when Rome's main synagogue nearby was closed down. It also has a café and gelateria on the Rome side. It can be a nice alternative to getting to and from Trastevere if crossing the heavily trafficked Ponte Garibaldi ever gets old. Be sure to get photos from Garibaldi though as Isola Tiberina truly is beautiful.

• Villa Farnesina, Via della Lungara 230 (on the northern edge of Trastevere), ☎ +39 6 68027268. 09,00-13.00 Mon-Sat.Delightful Renaissance house that was built by a rich banker from Siena, Agostino Chigi. In 1577 it was bought by the Farnese family and has since been known as Villa Farnesina. At one time there were plans by Michelangelo to build a bridge over the river to connect the villa with Palazzo Farnese on the other side. You can tour several beautiful rooms that are all decorated with frescoes, including some by Raphael. Particularly entertaining is the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche, the former entrance hall, in which nearly every person represented is without clothes. €5.

Botanical Gardens, Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24 (Northwest edge of Trastever8bsp;Saturday 9am-6:30pm, 5.30 in Winter. Closed in August. This garden was originally established in 1883. It has over 3500 species of plants and includes a "Scent-and-Touch" garden for those who are visually impaired.

• San Francesco a Ripa, Piazza S.Francesco d'Assisi (South side of Trastevere). Named after St. Francis of Assisi, who stayed nearby. Inside the Paluzzi-Albertoni chapel is one of Bernini’s masterpieces, the statue of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni. The column in front of the church comes from the ruins of Veii.

• The Tempietto, (in the grounds of San Pietro in Montorio.). Designed by Bramante to mark the spot of St. Peter's martyrdom, this is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. There is even a direct copy of it in Paris.

• Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, (On the left of Via Garibaldi opposite San Pietro in Montorio.). This massive early 17th Century Baroque fountain was built to celebrate the re-opening of an old Roman aqueduct. Water played an important role in this area in Roman times as the grain was milled here using water mills.

• Manfredi Lighthouse, (after Piazza Garibaldi follow the road down the hill in the direction of St. Peter's.). Strange to see a lighthouse on top of a hill. This was built in 1911 and was a gift to the city from Italians living in Argentina. From here you can continue down the hill, past Rome's largest and Italy's most important children's hospital, Bambino Gesu, eventually arriving at the River Tiber close to the Vatican.

• Villa Pamphili, (Via Garibaldi leads into Via Aurelia Antica at Porta San Pancrazio. The park entrance is a short distance after the beginning of Via Aurelia). A large villa and 180 ha. park that is a major recreation area for Romans, and a popular spot for joggers. One unusual feature of the grounds is the colony of coypus (swamp beavers) around the lake. Natives of South America these ones are descended from some who wisely escaped from a fur farm. There are also colonies by the Tiber.