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The
River Tiber
(or Tevere in
Italian) |
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The Tiber (Latin Tiberis, Italian
Tevere) is the third-longest river in Italy. The river begins in the
Apennine mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing 406 kilometres through
Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at
18,000 km˛. The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of
the city of Rome, founded on its eastern banks. It is probable that the name
Tiber is pre-Latin, like the Roman name of Tibur (modern Tivoli). It
may be Etruscan or Italic in origin, possibly akin to the Celtic root-word
dubr, "water."
Along the river there are several ancient bridges,
along with numberous mondern ones. Many of the ancient are now
mostly pedestrian-only that have survived in part or in whole . Some
of these include the Milvian Bridge, the Ponte Sant'Angelo and the
Fabricius' Bridge.It is hard, when looking
at the photo of the Tiber at the right, to believe that this picture
was taken right in the heart of the city of Rome. Alongside the
river is a nice sidewalk where you can see some great views of the
river and hear the water as it flows over the rocks. Unfortuniately,
on the other side of the sidewalk you have to put up with the
constant noise of the traffic in this congested city.
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Photo by Jim Bruner |
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Photo by Jim Bruner |
The legendary king Tiberinus Silvius, or Thebris
of Alba Longa, was said to have drowned in
the Albula River, which was subsequently renamed in his honour. The
myth may have explained a memory of an earlier, perhaps
pre-Indo-European name for the river, "white" (alba) for the
sediments that line the river in places. According to the legend,
Jupiter made him a guardian spirit of the river (also called Volturnus, "rolling water"). This gave rise to the standard Roman
depiction of the river as a powerfully built reclining river god,
also named Tiberinus, with streams of water flowing from his hair
and beard. According to legend, the city of
Rome was founded in 753 BC on the banks of the Tiber about 25 km
from the sea at Ostia. The island Isola Tiberina in the center of
Rome, between Trastevere and the ancient center, was the site of an
important ancient ford. Legend says Rome's founders, the twin
brothers Romulus and Remus, were abandoned and thrown into its waters, where they
were rescued by a she-wolf. |
The river marked the boundary between the lands of the
Etruscans to the west, the
Sabines to the east and the
Latins to the south.
Benito Mussolini, born in
Romagna, adjusted the boundary between
Tuscany and
Emilia-Romagna, so that the springs of the Tiber would lie
in Romagna. Mussolini placed an antique Roman column at the
point where the river arises, inscribed QUI NASCE IL
TEVERE SACRO AI DESTINI DI ROMA ("Here is born the
Tiber, sacred to the destinies of Rome").
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The Tiber was critically important to Roman trade and
commerce, as ships could reach as far as 100 km upriver; there
is evidence that it was used to ship grain from the Val Teverina
as long ago as the 5th century B.C. Later, it was used to ship stone, timber and foodstuffs to Rome.
During the
Punic Wars of the 3rd century BC, the harbour at Ostia
became a key naval base. It later became Rome's most important
port, where wheat,
olive oil, and
wine
were imported from Rome's colonies around the Mediterranean.
Wharves were also built along the riverside in Rome itself,
lining the riverbanks around the
Campus Martius area. The Romans connected the river with a
sewer system (the
Cloaca Maxima) and with an underground network of
tunnels and other channels, to bring its water into the middle
of the city. The heavy sedimentation of the river made it difficult to
maintain Ostia, prompting the emperors
Claudius and
Trajan to establish a new port on the Fiumicino in the 1st
century AD. They built a new road, the
via Portuensis, to connect Rome with Fiumicino, leaving
the city by
Porta Portese ('the port gate'). Both ports were eventually
abandoned due to silting. |
This is one of my favorite views of the
river. There are a few outdoor cafes located right along the
river bank where you can enjoy a cool dirink on a hot day.
And, as they are below the street level, you do not get as
much noise from the trafic. They are also open in the
evening making it a grat place to sit and relax as you enjoy
the lights of the city.
Photo by Jim Bruner |
Several
popes
attempted to improve navigation on the Tiber in the 17th and
18th century, with extensive dredging continuing into the 19th
century. Trade was boosted for a while but by the 20th century
silting had resulted in the river only being navigable as far as
Rome itself. The Tiber was once notorious for its floods — the Campus
Martius is a
flood plain and would regularly flood to a depth of several
metres. The river is now confined between high stone embankments
which were begun in 1876. Within the city, the riverbanks are
lined by boulevards known as lungoteveri, streets "along
the Tiber."
| You may wonder why I would
place the Tiber as an "attraction." It's simple really.
While visitors to Rome cross over this river several times
on sightseeing trips, they seldome take the time to walk
alongside of the river. The next time you are in Rome, take
a walk along the east bank of the river alongLgt. d.
Sangallo, Lat. del Tebaldi, Lgt. dei Vallati, Lgt. dei
Cenci, Lgt. d. Pierloni,ant Lgt. Sventino (the road here
changes it's name several times) from the Ponte Sant' Angelo
to the Ponte Sublicio. This will take you through thousands
of years of history, from the present, modern day buildings
on your left as you begin your walk, to the older building
on the other side of the river. Along the way you will have
nice views (and photo opportunities) of Castel Sant' Angelo,
the Vatacan, several government buildings and park areas,
the Isola Tiberina and more. When you reachVia del Circo
Massimo (just past Ponte Palatino) you can take a short walk
to see the Circus Maximus. You will know you are in the
right area when you see the small, circular Temple di Vesta
that sits a little below the roadway. Walk across the
street, past the Temple di Vesta, and you will be in front
of the the small chruch, S. Maria in Cosmedin where, right
in front of the church, you will see the Mouth of Truth that
was made famouse in the movie Roman Holiday when Gregory
Peck tried to get Audrey Hepburn to place her hand into the
mouth. The Circus Maximus is just beyond the chruch. |
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Going back to the river, turn left
again and, along with enjoying the views of the river, keep looking to
our left as you can see the ruins of many villas that are hundreds of
years old. When you reach Via Marmorata, turn to the left and walk to
the Piazza di S. Paolo where you can find busses and the Metro.
**NOTE: All photos taken by
Jim Bruner. Photos may be reproduced, however; if used for commercial purposes
(including any print media or on the internet), please credit with the
following: Photo by Jim Bruner and provided courtesy of
www.gettingaway.com.
If you have something you believe
should be added to this section of Getting Away, please send the information to
Jim at Getting Away.
mailto: jimbruner@gettingaway.com
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