The problem of securing convenient yet affordable accommodation has confronted visitors to Rome since at least the 14th century, when pilgrims flooded in during the Jubilee Year of 1350. After weeks of travel, they were beholden to Roman innkeepers attentive to the possibility of extortion in the provision of foetid dormitories; the collapse of a temporary bridge across the Tiber, which killed several people, precipitated a solution that was permanent and practical – and distinctly English.
The English College’s name denotes a connection, enshrined in a strange and ancient sanctity, between Rome and England – affirmed in the tradition of priestly formation on the present site for nearly 650 years. The “English presence” in Rome, in built form, goes back to the time of King Alfred.
