Via Frattina probably derives from the name of the bishop of Amelia, Bartolomeo Ferratino, who had it paved, creating his own house at its head. Other sources report that the name derives, like many of the neighbouring streets, from the geographical description of the place as it was before the paving works
road paving.
Certainly before these years in the ancient Roman maps there was a street that connected the area of Piazza di Spagna with the Corso. It has always been a place of passage for poets, artists and rulers.
First the French, then the Spanish (as witnessed by the large gateway to the gardens of today's Spanish Embassy, right next door to the Bar) and the ‘English’ as Belli used to identify foreigners of all kinds. Joyce, Keats and a few steps away Wolfgang Goethe resided there.
The Roman folk tales of Trilussa (who resided in the Rione) and Bartolomeo Pinelli, who remember it as the street where a young postman from San Silvestro, known as er Tinea, was elected ‘er più de Trastevere’.
In 1956, when the old shopkeepers returned after the war, Bar Frattina opened. In those years, the street was frequented by painters and neo-realist directors, and Guttuso and Rossellini were frequent visitors. Associations and cultural salons then gave way to ateliers and haute couture exhibitions, among the most appreciated in the world. Tourists and visitors can breathe in the air of history and taste typical gastronomic specialities amidst the enchantment of the place and the high quality of service.
