Trastevere, which literally translated means ‘across the river,' is an easygoing neighborhood that's a little less crowded than the areas around the Spanish Steps or Piazza Navona. There are plenty of wonderful things to see like the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, with its mosaic façade that dates back to the 12^th century. Inside, its floors are adorned with Cosmatesque tiles in one of the earliest uses of patterns, which look familiar to Girlawhirl because – believe it or not – early American settlers were inspired by these same patterns and used them as the basis for their quilts, and so, she's seen them hundreds of times.

The streets around the central square, Piazza Santa Maria, just outside the church, and the adjacent Piazza di San Egidio are full of bancarelli, where vendors display their wares and crafts on tables. Girlawhirl's found all kinds of things, from sculptural cards that open to reveal 3-D paper cutouts of some of the monuments of Rome, hand painted ultra suede handbags and denim, to a great selection of scarves and hair accessories.

The shops along Via della Scala and Via della Luce always keep her busy, going from one to another checking out the cool clothes, art and more. At 38 Leopardo, Chicagoan Jessica Harris makes most of the clothes and accessories herself. There's sleek and slick clothing at Urban Tales, of-the-moment attire at Parentesi and a little bit of everything at Altrove. Abitart is full of color and pattern, and believe it or not, a shop called The Butcher sells jeans, and cool shoes, and it happens to have butcher shops on either side of it. Glass jewelry and an incredible selection of scarves and wraps keep Girlawhirl going back to Pandora della Malva.

Shoes take center stage at Joseph DeBach (but the store doesn't open until 7:30 at night!), but when the crowds around Via Condotti's Prada, Gucci and Hogan are too much for Girlawhirl to bear, she can find the shoes she's come to Italy to purchase in Trastevere at Boccanera.

Of course, there's always time for a gelato, either at Blue Ice in Piazza Santa Maria or Gelateria della Scala on Via della Scala across from the ancient Farmacia della Scala. And the neighborhood is a great place to end the day; there are hip and fun wine bars and lots of restaurants.

38 Leopardo	Vicolo del Leopardo, 38	0767991008
Abitart	Via della Scala, 7	0697746383
Altrove	Via della Luce, 35b
Boccanera	Via Luca della Robbia, 36	065750847
Joseph DeBach	Vicolo del Cinque, 19
Pandora	Pza Santa Maria in Trastevere, 6	065817145
Pandora della Malva	Pza San Giovanni della Malva, 3	065813406
Parentesi	Pza della Malva, 7
The Butcher	Via Manara, 9
Urban Tales	Via dei Fienaroli, 21	0658301130