Rome’s forgotten river is actually home to some of its greatest sights

Seven wonders of Rome’s Tiber River

This may be the Italian capital’s forgotten river but many of the city’s greatest attractions are lined above its banks.

1 Take in the Tiber from the island in its midst

Tiber Island and Fabricius Bridge on the river Tiber.Credit: Getty Images

A river may run through its ancient heart, yet Rome’s citizens don’t think much of their answer to the Seine. With the Tiber flowing well below street level, the 406 kilometre-river can be a case of out of sight, out of mind, for Romans. But some of the city’s greatest sights crowd along its steep banks. Among them is Isola Tiberina, the small hospital-dominated island in the middle of the river. The site of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, the island provides a vantage point of the sometimes fast-flowing Tiber as well as some of the 30 mostly ancient bridges that span it.

2 Tuck in at a Trastevere trattoria

Trastevere, one of Rome’s favourite food neighbourhoods.Credit: Getty Images

Take the Ponte Cestio, a bridge that dates to as early as 46BC, from Isola Tiberina across to the atmospheric neighbourhood of Trastevere. While it’s been displaced by some as a culinary hotspot in favour of the trendier Testaccio further downstream, it’s still an immensely popular Roman ’hood. Eschew the touristy trattorie around the main squares, though, and head to the calmer backstreets for a more authentic local experience at, for instance, the unpretentious – if a tad grungy – Trattoria da Augusto.

3 See where all the ancient Romans went

After a repast among real Romans at Augusto, wander back into the main part of Trastevere for a visit to the nearby pre-medieval Basilica di Santa Maria, one of the capital’s oldest places of worship. Keep an eye out, too, preferably after dining, for ancient Rome’s concept of sanitation. It can be witnessed in the form of enclosed drop toilets attached to the side of apartment buildings where once lavatory contents were simply emptied onto the streets below, presumably on unsuspecting passersby.

4 Peek through the keyhole at Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta

The view of St Peter’s Basilica as seen from the Aventine Keyhole in Rome.Credit: Alamy

Atop the Aventine Hill, one of Rome’s magnificent seven mounts and the site of the gorgeous Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden) overlooking the Tiber, is this Roman novelty. You’ll probably have to queue for a glimpse, but it’s worth it for the perfectly framed, almost-too-good-to-be-true view of St Peter’s Basilica, flanked by poplar-like trees, that can all be enjoyed through the bronze keyhole in the huge priory door.

5 Relive the classic scene from Roman Holiday

La Bocca della Verita (the mouth of truth).Credit: Getty Images

Resist, if you can, the urge to queue before Bocca della Verita, or the “Mouth of Truth” for an obligatory photo (and definitely don’t place your hand in the mouth). But do pause to admire this slightly scary-looking medieval carving as you enter the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, distinguished by its elegant Romanesque bell tower. Film buffs will recall that Bocca della Verita features in Roman Holiday, the delightful 1953 Hollywood romantic comedy. In it Gregory Peck plays a hilarious practical joke – relating to the legend that claims that if you place your hand in the carving’s mouth and tell a lie its jaws will snap shut – on his co-star, Audrey Hepburn.

A scene from Roman Holiday starring Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and the Mouth of Truth.Credit: Alamy

6 Stroll along the quiet banks of the Tiber

A great way to escape the Rome ruckus is to take a walk along the Tiber’s serene banks, something few Romans do. The river’s 13-metre embankments – built in the 19th century to contain the river and prevent flooding – were scrubbed of graffiti in time for this year’s Papal Jubilee though doubtless it’s returned. While the embankments do spare Rome from periodic flooding they also deny the city a relationship with the river akin to that of Paris and its Seine.

7 Capture the classic Tiber River scene at dusk

The Tiber at dusk.Credit: Alamy

One of the eternal images of the Eternal City is the photo opportunity that presents at dusk from Roman Emperor Hadrian’s 134 AD Ponte Sant’Angelo. In the right conditions, as night begins to wrap itself around Rome like a papal cloak, feathery pink clouds can form around the orb-like dome of St Peter’s Basilica, with even the capital’s much maligned, all aglow, waterway picture-perfect in the rapidly fading light.

The writer visited Rome as a guest of Viking’s 16-day “Malta, Morocco & the Mediterranean” cruise, from $12,695 a person in a verandah stateroom. The cruise includes a “Treasures of Rome Along the Tiber River” fully guided shore excursion. See vikingcruises.com.au