The Tiber Island in Rome and its history

The Tiber Island is a little gem in the heart of Rome: Romans and tourists alike cross it on their way to and from Trastevere, but not everyone knows its thousand-year history!

It’s the only “metropolitan” island of the Tiber, with a length of about 270 meters and a width that varies between 67 and 80 meters. This place is fascinating and we encourage to explore it, not just during the summer when projections and concerts… bring it to life!

To begin with, a few “geological” remarks: the Tiber Island was originally just a river sandbank, “resting” on pre-existing tuff as a result of river floods. You won’t see any of this in the island’s current appearance, as it looks like a massive building on the water (more on this later)

Shaped like a ship… and made out of wheat?!

Despite what we know “scientifically” about the Tiber Island, our ancestors assigned it a very precise year of birth: 509 B.C., when, according to the legend, Romans threw the grain deposits of King Tarquin the Superb into the Tiber after dethroning him.

The other key year in the history of the island occurred a few centuries later, in 291 B.C.: in this case, the story goes that a snake that was supposed to cure the city of a plague jumped from the ship that was carrying it on the river. Where it fell (coincidentally, right on the island!), the priests of the ancient Republic decided to build a temple dedicated to the cure of all diseases and thus to Aesculapius, the god whose very symbol was a snake.

Around this temple, a strange ship-shaped building was built, with a stern and a bow made of travertine, and in the middle of the island itself, an obelisk to serve as a… mast. The motive was not only creative, but also practical: sure, the island, seen from above, really looked like the hull of a ship, but in addition it was to protect the temple, specifically from the overflowing Tiber.

The temple was so protected that it remained almost intact until about the year 1000: then the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island was built in its place, which can still be seen today. In its basement, some remains of the ancient temple are still visible and can be visited (after arranging a private tour).

As for the “travertine ship”, if you go down the stairs that lead almost to the river level and walk around the perimeter of the island, it is possible to see parts of it, especially at the tip closest to the Ponte rotto bridge. Archaeologists disagree here: what are we looking at, a stern or a bow?

According to the former hypothesis, the stone decorations are the stern of the ship that carried the mythological snake that escaped way back when. Conversely, those who believe it is a bow argue that those who entered the city were supposed to see a ship ready for war and needed to “marvel” at the power of Rome! Can you imagine how. that must have looked, thousands of years ago?

Speaking of Aesculapius…

No one, not even the most inexperienced visitor, will fail to notice that the Tiber Island is still home to one of the oldest Roman hospitals in the city: historically and popularly known as “Fatebenefratelli”, since 2022 it has been officially renamed “Gemini Isola”. This may seem like a detail, but it is a sign of an extraordinary continuity, because it shows that for thousands of years the island has remained the place to go for medical care and treatment. In spite of wars, destruction and invasions.

Tiber Island today

Today the island is a precious space for the Romans: although it is not a park, it is used as such by Romans and visitors who use this area of the very historical center to walk and be in the open air, a stone’s throw from the waters of the river. As mentioned in the opening of this post, in summer the island becomes an open-air “arena” for concerts, movie screenings and book presentations, an enchanted place, almost suspended in time.