Saint Barbara of the Books / Rome

This small church, also known as Santa Barbara alla Regola, after the district in which it is situated, was founded, in the 11th century, in the ruins of the Theatre of Pompey. (It was in an annex in the gardens of the Theatre of Pompey that Julius Caesar was assassinated).

Saint Barbara of the Books, Rome, Italy. 186 Largo dei Librai

The church is just off Via dei Giubbonari between Campo de’Fiori and Piazza Cairoli.

Located at the edge of the Roman Ghetto, “Jewish Ghetto”, one of the most intact ancient neighborhoods of Rome, and one of the best and easiest places to grab a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern / Kosher mix of delicious lunch, enjoy dessert, strong coffee, or good wines for less, and also walk among Augustan Roman ruins and a real Mediaeval cemetery, with some of the best Middle Ages ruins in Rome. it is a tiny compact area perfect for packing a lot into a couple hours, and it is a short walk from the historic center of Rome and the Capitoline Hill and Trajan’s Column.

This is a small but absolutely stunning church. It’s definitely an off the beaten path one, too.

One minute you are walking through a charming neighborhood, the next moment you turn the corner and are stopped in your tracks by this glorious architecture. It looks surreal – a tiny church stuck between houses and a yogurt gelato shop. It’s worth a stop, a snapshot, and a walk up past the perfect olive trees into the doorway for a look around the interior.