Tiber Island - Great Attractions (Rome, Italy)

  • 13 years ago
Take a tour of Tiber Island in Rome, Italy - part of the World's Greatest Attractions travel video series by GeoBeats.

Those seeking to be healed should venture to Tiber Island, an islet in the Tiber River of Italy with a history of healing powers.

The island is shaped like a ship and is connected to mainland Rome by two bridges.

During a great plague in Rome, the government decided to build a temple to the Greek god of healing and medicine on the island.

The Temple of Aesculapius was eventually replaced by a Catholic church, but its modern equivalent, a hospital, was built in 1584 and is still open today.

Tiber Island is one of two aits, or small islands, in the city of Rome.

Other Greek and Roman features built on the island have been replaced by crosses and spires, but the history and legend of the island remains.