History and legend

The 'blond Tiber', the symbol and beating heart of Rome, at the centre of the city's founding myths.

From the basket containing the young Romulus and Remus entrusted to the river current, to the heroic landing of Aeneas, initiator of the Roman lineage, the river has always been a protagonist in the history and destiny of Rome and not only.

An indispensable resource in the past, it was a source of drinking water, a communication route and an element of defence for the entire river basin.

A water highway for the transportation of merchandise, including salt: a precious element for preserving food, it came from the Mediterranean salt pans, near Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber, and was sold in the areas further north, controlled by the Etruscans of Veio. 

Since ancient times (15th-14th centuries B.C.) Tiber Island, a natural ford of sedimentary origin, the only transit point between the two banks of the river, had been a meeting point for the various Latin peoples and, not by chance, Rome was built on the slopes of the nearby Palatine hill.

Sailing up the Tiber meant not only transporting merchandise from far-off countries, but also and above all bringing civilisation and culture, and for this reason the control of the river was decisive for the growth and expansion of the Roman civilisation.

Formerly called 'Albula', a reference to its clear waters, according to ancient historians the current name of the river derives from Tiberinus, a mythical king of Alba who died in battle on the banks of the river.

For the ancients, the Tiber was an inexhaustible source of life, a divinity, represented in images and sculptures with the cornucopia and the oar, symbols of abundance and navigability.