Trastevere, in the Roman dialect, means "across the Tiber" and the community served as the home of fishermen and traders in its early days, continuing that tradition until its trade fortunes waned at the end of the 19th century.
Santa Cecilia, the third-century Christian martyr and patron saint of music, is buried in the ninth century church of the same name in Trastevere. In the 16th century, her body was exhumed and found to be in remarkable condition---it inspired a marble statue that rests in the church.
In the third century, Emperor Aurelian built walls around Trastevere and nearby Vatican Hill, bringing the neighborhoods into the city. Portions of the wall still stand.
Pope Sixtus IV paved Trastevere's streets during his 16th century papacy, but carts had difficulty maneuvering on the streets so they were repaved with cobblestones, the so-called "sampietrini" that exist to this day.
Water from an aqueduct originally built by Roman Emperor Trajan serves the neighborhood, bringing water to the fountains that dot the area.
In the late 19th century, constant flooding of Rome's riverside neighborhoods prompted municipal leaders to build earthworks to hold back the waters, but it also lowered the water levels near Trastevere and the community lost its importance as a center for trade.
