Ettore Roesler Franz and Bygone Rome

The Tiber Island was one of the artist's favourite subjects, having been featured in no less than five of his paintings. In this one he focused on the northern side of the island [1], connected to the mainland (Sant'Angelo district) by the ancient roman Fabricius Bridge [2], whose shape and structure are still the original ones. Since the Middle Ages, several houses had been built by the river [3], as well as on the same island. When by the end of the 19th century tall walls were built to protect the city from the frequent floods, some heavy alterations were unavoidable (in those days this was not looked at as a problem), and the whole row of old houses along the riverside was taken down without too many scruples.

The Tiber Island was one of the artist's favourite subjects, having been featured in no less than five of his paintings. In this one he focused on the northern side of the island [1], connected to the mainland (Sant'Angelo district) by the ancient roman Fabricius Bridge [2], whose shape and structure are still the original ones.
Since the Middle Ages, several houses had been built by the river [3], as well as on the same island. When by the end of the 19th century tall walls were built to protect the city from the frequent floods, some heavy alterations were unavoidable (in those days this was not looked at as a problem), and the whole row of old houses along the riverside was taken down without too many scruples.

During the same years, also the island underwent a refurbishment. Most of the slums that entirely covered its surface were removed; by doing so, also the view over the ancient bridges was partly revealed: note how the second archway of the bridge is not visible in the painting because entirely obstructed. The only buildings left in place were the church of St.Bartholomew and the island's ancient hospital, whose corner, covered by an old house in Roesler Franz's view, can be seen in the modern picture (far right).

night view below Fabricius Bridge

The old river banks [4] were levelled and slightly raised, turning them into a broad walkway, yet leaving the course and the span of the river branch practically unchanged: any obstruction to the water flow would have been a further risk factor for floods.

So, despite the alterations, this is one of the corners of bygone Rome that has not undergone radical changes, and is still relatively consistent with its 19th century look.