If you have ever been to Rome in the summer you surely have walked along the waterfront of the Tiber river at dusk. It is a happening place! It is a ideal spot for both city dwellers and tourists alike to hang out and enjoy a bit of respite from the heat of the day.
Starting in June each year until September, the Lungotevere from Ponte Sublicio to Ponte Sisto, is embellished with presentations, expositions, shows, installations, musicians and open air art galleries. There is also a wide variety of restaurants and bars represented.
Folks can shop, play games, or just sit back and relax and while drinking a Spritz with good friends. From this choice spot next tot he river one can watch the sun slowly sink behind the parade of bridges that cross over the Tiber river.
The Lungotevere, that was in part inspired by and resembles the wide boulevard that flanks the Seine River in Paris, didn’t always exist. It was more recently created in 1875. Many suggest that some of the city’s charm was removed with the erection of massive walls called “muraglioni” that now contain the space along the Tiber.
While the walls now help to eliminate flooding, the construction caused the demolition of artistically and historically significant buildings that had previously flanked the river. From this watercolor, painted by Ettore Roesler Franze of the Tiber from Ponte Sisto facing north prior to the construction of the Lungotevere, you can just imagine how the city might have looked today if the walk hadn’t been built.
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