How to get to Trastevere from Piazza de popolo

[LindaM]

We are staying at the Visconti Palace near the Piazza de popolo (which I believe is near the Spanish Steps.) I've always wanted to go the the Trastevere section of Rome. Is it possible to walk? Are there cabs readily available? We have always walked from one end of Rome to the other, but now that we are closing in on medicare age, I'm not so sure....

 

Thanks in advance!

[MeHeartCruising]

We are staying at the Visconti Palace near the Piazza de popolo (which I believe is near the Spanish Steps.) I've always wanted to go the the Trastevere section of Rome. Is it possible to walk? Are there cabs readily available? We have always walked from one end of Rome to the other, but now that we are closing in on medicare age, I'm not so sure....

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Google Maps calculates it as about a one hour walk from Piazza del Popolo. This would be plus or minus a few given that Trastevere is a section of the city and not a specific point as Google Maps uses. Taxis are quite easy to track down (usually at posted taxi stands) in Rome and your hotel could certainly arrange one if there isn't a taxi stand nearby.

Edited October 28, 2015 by MeHeartCruising

[buggins0402]

Google Maps calculates it as about a one hour walk from Piazza del Popolo. This would be plus or minus a few given that Trastevere is a section of the city and not a specific point as Google Maps uses. Taxis are quite easy to track down (usually at posted taxi stands) in Rome and your hotel could certainly arrange one if there isn't a taxi stand nearby.

 

This seemed long to me so I checked on Bing...34 minutes to hotel Santa Maria...which is in the heart of Trastevere...according to that site. We stayed in Trastevere on our last trip and walked everywhere...so 1 hour seems a bit long to me.

Edited October 28, 2015 by buggins0402

[cruisemom42]

This seemed long to me so I checked on Bing...34 minutes to hotel Santa Maria...which is in the heart of Trastevere...according to that site. We stayed in Trastevere on our last trip and walked everywhere...so 1 hour seems a bit long to me.

 

Agreed, I used Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and got a time of 35 minutes walking on Google Maps. Still likely to be a bit more (I find Google Maps times to be faster than my own, but then I often stop to look at something or take a photo......;))

 

As previously noted, a taxi is also an easy option if the walk seems too long.

[buggins0402]

Agreed, I used Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and got a time of 35 minutes walking on Google Maps. Still likely to be a bit more (I find Google Maps times to be faster than my own, but then I often stop to look at something or take a photo......;))

 

As previously noted, a taxi is also an easy option if the walk seems too long.

 

LOL! It would probably take me two hours to walk that....there is so much to see when walking from point A to point B in Rome, I always get sidetracked.

[MeHeartCruising]

This seemed long to me so I checked on Bing...34 minutes to hotel Santa Maria...which is in the heart of Trastevere...according to that site. We stayed in Trastevere on our last trip and walked everywhere...so 1 hour seems a bit long to me.

 

Well, I DID state "give or take a few". :-)

 

If you enter just "Trastevere" as your destination, Google maps picks a point further to the south, but still in Trastevere, closer to the Trastevere train station.

Edited October 29, 2015 by MeHeartCruising

[LindaM]

Thanks for all of your replies!!! I think we now can see this is "doable". We will probably take a taxi from the hotel and walk back. Or not.... My husband printed some maps from google maps and hopefully the hotel will be of some help. The last time we were in Rome ( 3 years ago???) we walked to all the major points in one day. Not the collaseum but everything else with a map I have from Conde Nast Traveler. I saw Trastevere in some movie and it looks like a small neighborhood that we'd like to see. There is also a pasta sauce from a restaurant there that I've been making with butter, pecorino/romano and black pepper that originated in a restaurant from that area. Bucket list....

[cruisemom42]

There is also a pasta sauce from a restaurant there that I've been making with butter, pecorino/romano and black pepper that originated in a restaurant from that area. Bucket list....

 

Cacio e pepe -- a truly Roman dish. No one really knows in what kitchen it originated but Trastevere is as good a bet as any. ;)

 

There are three things I always try to eat in Rome, and Cacio e pepe is one of them.

[texancruzer]

Cacio e pepe -- a truly Roman dish. No one really knows in what kitchen it originated but Trastevere is as good a bet as any. ;)

 

There are three things I always try to eat in Rome, and Cacio e pepe is one of them.

 

Oh great …. its 8:40 in the morning and now I am hungry for pasta :eek:

[buggins0402]

My one attempt at making Cacio e pepe failed miserably...glopped up on me. Seems so simple, but I guess there is a technique.:)

 

OP - Trastevere is my favorite "hood" in Rome. It really has a small town feel. It's like being in Tuscany while staying in Rome. Everyone hangs out in the square in front of Basilica di Santa Maria.

[LindaM]

My one attempt at making Cacio e pepe failed miserably...glopped up on me. Seems so simple, but I guess there is a technique.:)

 

OP - Trastevere is my favorite "hood" in Rome. It really has a small town feel. It's like being in Tuscany while staying in Rome. Everyone hangs out in the square in front of Basilica di Santa Maria.

 

I think the secret is you have to use a tiny bit of the pasta water. Just a little bit...the recipe I found somewhere says 1/4 c, but we end up using a spoonful. The butter has to be seriously at room temp.

 

We are looking forward to seeing a "neighborhood" in Rome. Hope it's a nice day.....this may be our last trip to Rome.

[slidergirl]

Yep - it's saving some of the pasta water, then adding it back in a little at a time to get your desired consistency. I do it here at home all the time. I've never used butter, though. Maybe some olive oil heated up to help release the pepper oils and spiciness. When I can get it, I love to use bucatini as the pasta - thicker than spaghetti and has the hole down the middle of it.

 

Go to Katie Parla's website parlafood. Read up on what she has to say about Trastevere. She'll also have some restaurants recommended to try.

[cruisemom42]

The really traditional cacio e pepe recipes do not use either butter or oil. There are only three ingredients: pasta, cheese, and pepper. (And the cheese is a very particular kind!)

 

Here's an interesting recent article that talks about cacio e pepe and more, from the NY Times:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/travel/rome-italian-recipes.html?_r=0

[slidergirl]

The really traditional cacio e pepe recipes do not use either butter or oil. There are only three ingredients: pasta, cheese, and pepper. (And the cheese is a very particular kind!)

 

Here's an interesting recent article that talks about cacio e pepe and more, from the NY Times:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/travel/rome-italian-recipes.html?_r=0

 

Good article. Nice part with Katie and the amatriciana. I had my first taste of this wonderful stuff at Roscioli (on her recommendation), and they used the big rigatoni as the pasta. She is also the one who told me to try Da Cesare (one of the restaurants in the article) - it's WAY off the tourist track. After having their appetizer of FRIED gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce (!!!), I had no room for another pasta. There was that little blurb about using a little olive oil ;) I don't use much, just enough to be able to bring out the pepper - sometimes it's old pepper and this helps to "freshen" it up. I do this frequently to bring out some flavor in any spices I use, not just pepper for cacio e pepe.