Tiber Island (Isola Tiberina)
Always Open
Free
1h
Walk down to the riverbanks below for the best photos of the ancient bridges.
Isola Tiberina, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
A small ship-shaped island in the middle of the Tiber, only 270 metres long, used for healing since antiquity. According to legend, the islet formed naturally from the body of the hated Etruscan king Tarquinius Superbus, dumped in the river by the Romans after they overthrew him in 509 BC. A temple to Asclepius (god of medicine) was built here in 293 BC, and the tradition continues today: the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, founded in 1585, is still Rome's oldest active hospital, alongside the 10th-century church of San Bartolomeo.