1.
Rioni of Rome
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A rione of Rome is a traditional administrative division of the city of Rome. Rione is an Italian term used since the 14th century to name a district of a town, the term was born in Rome, originating from the administrative divisions of the city. The word comes from the Latin word regio, during the Middle Ages the Latin word became rejones, currently, all the rioni are located in Municipio I of Rome. According to tradition, Servius Tullius, sixth king of Rome, first divided the city into regiones, all but Transtiberim were on the left bank of the river Tiber. During the 12th century a division in 12 parts started being used, though not officially, even if the areas were different from the ancient ones, they still used the same name, regio in Latin and rione in the vulgar language. The limits of the rioni became more definitive and official in the 13th century, their number increased to 13, in this period, anyway, the limits were quite uncertain. The rione was not an entity, but only an administrative one. The chief of a rione was the Caporione, during the Renaissance there was a deep reorganization and expansion of the city, so it became necessary to delimit the rioni exactly. In 1586 Sixtus V added to the 13 rioni another one, Borgo and this situation, thanks to the low population increase, did not change until the 19th century. In 1744 Pope Benedict XIV, because of frequent misunderstanding, decided to replan the administrative division of Rome, the marble plates defining the borders of each rione, many of which still exist, were installed in that year on the facades of houses lying at each riones border. So the smaller rioni were united to the large ones, at this time the French affixed in each street a plate with its name and the areas it belonged to. After Napoleon lost his power there were no significant changes in the organization of the city until Rome became the capital of the newborn Italy, the needs of the new capital caused a great urbanization and an increase of the population, both within the Aurelian walls and outside them. In 1874 the rioni became 15, with the addition of Esquilino, at the beginning of the 20th century some rioni started being split up and the first parts outside the Aurelian walls started being considered part of the city. In 1921 the number of the rioni increased to 22, Prati was the last rione to be established and the only one outside the walls of Urbanus VIII. The latest reform, which is still valid, was made in 1972, Rome was divided in 20 circoscrizioni and 20 rioni constituted the first one. The two remaining, Borgo and Prati, belonged to the XVIIth municipality until 2013, since then they belong too to the first Municipio. Media related to Districts of Rome at Wikimedia Commons
2.
Campus Martius
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The Campus Martius, was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about 2 square kilometres in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome, the IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers a smaller section of the original area, bears the same name. Washing ashore further downriver, the brothers would return later to found a new city. Romulus, who became Rome’s sole king, ruled for years until sometime in the seventh century B. C. As he came to the end of his life, a cloud descended upon the center of the open field outside the city’s pomerium in order to lift the elderly king to heaven. This land, “between the city and the Tiber, ” became the property of Rome’s last Etruscan king Tarquinius Superbus, after his defeat and exile, the plain was dedicated to the god Mars. Roman men assembled every spring before heading off to fight hostile tribes, surrounding Rome, with the exception of a small altar to Mars near the center of the field, it wasn’t until the fifth century B. C. that any visible changes were made to the field. In 435 B. C. the Villa Publica was established in a prepared 300m clearing, the area was meant to be a gathering space for citizens to congregate every five years, to be counted in a census. Free from any permanent structures, no additions would be made for two centuries. With the advent of the Punic Wars in the mid-third century B. C. Roman military expansion moved out of the Italian peninsula, the number of foreign wars, however, greatly increased the amount of wealth flowing into Rome. Generals who had sworn to various deities to build temples in their honor if victorious, besides temples and wooden markets, entertainment venues were built also, though they were to be temporary. Starting in the time of Sulla, building lots were sold or granted to influential Romans and it later became the place for comitia centuriata, civic meetings with weapons, and for the citys militia. In 55 BC, Pompey constructed a permanent theater made of stone, when the Curia Hostilia burnt down in 52 BC, the theater was sometimes used as a meeting place for the Senate. The area was used as the assembling ground for elections. Julius Caesar planned for the Saepta to be placed there, they were completed by his heir Augustus. In 33 BC, Octavian dedicated the Porticus Octaviae, built from spoils of the Dalmatian War, the Campus Martius also held the Ara Pacis, built by the Senate to mark the establishment of peace by Augustus. It was intended to symbolize the successful completion of Augustus efforts to stabilize the Empire, Marcus Agrippa had the original swampy ground made into a pool and baths in a setting of parkland and temples, the Laconicum Sudatorium or Baths of Agrippa. Also, he built the Porticus Argonautarum and the Pantheon, which was rebuilt by Hadrian as it still stands today
3.
Municipio I
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The Municipio I, is an administrative subdivision of the city of Rome. It is the center of the municipality of Rome and it was firstly created by Romes City Council on 19 January 2001 and it has a president who is elected during the mayoral elections. Since 11 March 2013 its borders were modified and was expanded with the incorporation between Municipio I and Municipio XVII, Municipio I is home to the Rioni of Rome, which are the citys historic districts. Municipio I is divided into localities, The localities of Prati, Delle Vittorie. The current majority is formed by Democratic Party and Left Ecology Freedom
4.
Piazza del Popolo
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Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The piazza lies inside the gate in the Aurelian Walls, once the Porta Flaminia of ancient Rome. This was the point of the Via Flaminia, the road to Ariminum. At the same time, before the age of railroads, it was the travellers first view of Rome upon arrival, for centuries, the Piazza del Popolo was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826. Peters Square, replacing the original cramped trapezoidal square centred on the Via Flaminia, an Egyptian obelisk of Sety I from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza. Three sides of the obelisk were carved during the reign of Sety I, the obelisk, known as the Flaminio Obelisk or the Popolo Obelisk, is the second oldest and one of the tallest obelisks in Rome. The obelisk was brought to Rome in 10 BC by order of Augustus and it was re-erected here in the piazza by the architect-engineer Domenico Fontana in 1589 as part of the urban plan of Sixtus V. The piazza also formerly contained a fountain, which was moved to the Piazza Nicosia in 1818. The twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto, begun by Carlo Rainaldi and completed by Bernini and Carlo Fontana, define the junctions of the roads. The Via del Babuino, linking to Piazza di Spagna, takes its name from a sculpture of Silenus that gained the popular name of the Baboon. To the north of the stands the Porta del Popolo, beyond which lies the Piazzale Flaminio. Opposite Santa Maria del Popolo stands a Carabinieri station, with a dome reflecting that of the church, in his urbanistic project, Valadier constructed the matching palazzi that provide a frame for the scenography of the twin churches and hold down two corners of his composition. Valadier outlined this newly defined oval forecourt to the city of Rome with identical sweeps of wall, behind the western one, a screen of trees masks the unassorted fronts of buildings beyond. Ever since the Renaissance such terminal fountains also provided an occasion for the terminal water show called in Rome a mostra or a show. What makes a fountain a mostra is not essentially its size or splendor, Valadier had planned fountains in the upper tier of the Pincio slope, but these were not carried out, in part for lack of water. The Fontana del Nettuno stands on the west side, Neptune with his trident is accompanied by two dolphins, Rome between the Tiber and the Aniene on the east side, against the steep slope of the Pincio, represents the terminal mostra of the aqueduct. Dea Roma armed with lance and helmet, and in front is the she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus, at the center of the piazza is the Fontana dell Obelisco, a group of four mini fountains, each comprising a lion on a stepped plinth, surround the obelisk. Valadiers masterstroke was in linking the piazza with the heights of the Pincio, the Pincian Hill of ancient Rome and he swept away informally terraced gardens that belonged to the Augustinian monastery connected with Santa Maria del Popolo
5.
Piazza di Spagna
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Piazza di Spagna, at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome. It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, seat of the Embassy of Spain among the Holy See, nearby is the famed Column of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the middle of the square is the famous Fontana della Barcaccia, dating to the beginning of the period, sculpted by Pietro Bernini and his son. At the left there is the Babingtons tea room, founded in 1893. The side near Via Frattina is overlooked by the two façades of the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, a property of the Holy See. In front of it, actually in a lengthening of Piazza di Spagna named Piazza Mignanelli, rises the Column of the Immaculate Conception, erected in 1856, two years after the proclamation of the dogma. The imposing 135-step staircase was inaugurated by Pope Benedict XIII during the 1725 Jubilee, the final key was the one proposed by Francesco De Sanctis, a great staircase decorated with many garden-terraces, splendidly adorned with flowers in spring and summer. In effect, the creation of long, deep perspectives culminating in monumental wings or backdrops was typical of the baroque architecture. The Spanish Steps were restored in 1995, detailed information and 19th-century photographs and etchings by Giuseppe Vasi The Spanish Steps - 360° Panorama Photo gallery Piazza di Spagna on Secret Rome
6.
Via del Babuino
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Via del Babuino is a street in the historic centre of Rome, located in the rione Campo Marzio. It connects Piazza del Popolo to Piazza di Spagna and is part of the complex of streets known as Tridente, the origins of Via del Babuino dates back to 13th century. The first two names of the street were Via dell’Orto di Napoli and Via del Cavalletto, in 1525, works commissioned by Pope Clement VII gave the street a new aspect and a new name, Via Clementina, in honor of its creator. It later became Via Paolina, because of the carried out under Pope Paul III in 1540. In 1571, on the initiative of Pope Pius V, a new fountain for public use was installed along the street, in this occasion a statue of Silenus, an ancient classical deity related to springs and fountains, was also placed on the street. The statue quickly became infamous among the inhabitants of the rione because of its ugliness, the statues was compared to a monkey, and was thus nicknamed Babuino, this name soon came to indicate the whole street. A plate remembers the twinning ratified on October 16,2002 between Via del Babuino and Madison Avenue in New York City
7.
Via del Corso
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The Via del Corso, is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is remarkable for being absolutely straight in an area characterized by narrow meandering alleys, considered a wide street in ancient times, today the Corso is approximately 10 metres wide, and it only has room for two lanes of traffic and two narrow sidewalks. The northern portion of the street is a pedestrian area, the length of the street is roughly 1.5 kilometres. The Corso runs in a generally north-south direction, today, the Corso is a popular place for the passeggiata, the evening stroll for the populace to be seen and to see others. It is also an important shopping street for tourists and locals alike, the history of Via del Corso began in 220 BC when Gaius Flaminius censor built a new road to link Rome with the Adriatic Sea in the north. The starting point of the road was Porta Fontinalis, a gate in the Servian city walls near present-day Piazza Venezia, in its first miles Via Flaminia cut through the plain between the Tiber and the eastern hills in a straight line. The Field of Mars, as it was called, was at the used as a training ground. Numerous tombs must have lined the road similarly to the Appian Way, the open area outside the city walls went through a process of urbanization during the late Republican and early imperial age. The city gradually spread north and monumental public buildings were built along the road. A set of dynastic monuments around the Mausoleum of Augustus was the most important development in the unpopulated northern section of the district. The first was the Arcus Novus erected by Diocletian in 303-304, then the Arch of Claudius stood further ahead and the third was later known as the Arco di Portogallo. The most important ancient monuments along Via Lata were Aurelians Temple of the Sun, the Ara Pacis, the Ustrinum Domus Augustae, the Ara Providentiae and the Column of Marcus Aurelius. A densely populated residential quarter from the Hadrianic era was discovered on the side of the road between Via delle Muratte and Via delle Convertite. From around the year 600 AD, the Corso accommodated a welfare centre linked to feeding the populace at Santa Maria in Via Lata and granaries at its southern end. During the Middle Ages the Via Lata, the present day Corso, effectively denoted a boundary, to the city mainly developed to the south. From the fifteenth century, the Via del Corso became a street for new or renovated churches. The lack of regularity and decorum of this street of the city meant that it became a main urban priority of Pope Alexander VII. Where he met with success was over imposing order on the street by empowering the maestri di strade
8.
Via Margutta
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Via Margutta is a narrow street in the centre of Rome, near Piazza del Popolo, accessible from Via del Babuino in the ancient Campo Marzio neighborhood also known as the foreigners quarter. Via Margutta originally was home to modest craftsmen, workshops and stables, after the film Roman Holiday became popular, Via Margutta developed into an exclusive neighborhood, where various famous people lived, such as film director Federico Fellini. From the north the area can be reached from Via Cassia or Flaminia, passing then through Piazzale Flaminio, from this point one walks several metres to the left of Flaminio Obelisk towards Via del Babuino, and on the left there is an alley that leads to Via Margutta. From Piazza di Spagna, one can take via del Babbuino, turn right on via Albert, via Margutta was behind the palaces of Via del Babuino, where warehouses and stables were found. At the base of Pincio hill, there were homes and shops of masons, marble cutters, and coachmen and these immigrants gradually replaced the shacks and stables with houses, workshops and gardens. During the reign of Pope Pius IX, a Belgian monsignor, Saverio de Merode, seeing the potential of the area, purchased land, built drains, via Margutta today is a charming, quiet lane. One hundred painters of Via Margutta, is an arts festival warmly celebrated by citizens. The expo is sponsored by the Mayor and the Province of Rome, the celebration makes Via Margutta a true public art gallery, presenting more than 1,000 works of art, including oil paintings, drawings, and watercolors in every expressive style. Some of the works on exhibit are of unknown or less-famous artists, admission is free, the exposition is open to everybody, the viewing of the works is casual and an easygoing attitude is the norm. Among the historical inhabitants of the street were Giulietta Masina, Federico Fellini, Renato Guttuso, in the same area can be found the Fontana delle Arti, which has a triangular base, crowned by a bucket of paint-brushes. Two masks are on sides, mounted over marble supports. The images are of the now familiar sad and happy faces, the two carved faces pour their weak water streams into two small bathtubs. Film by William Wyler with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, film by Carlo Vanzina with Carol Alt and Elliott Gould. Quelle Belle Ragazze di Via Margutta, book by Giampiero Mughini Via Margutta is also mentioned in the song Arrivederci Roma. Piazza del Popolo Via del Babuino Via del Corso Via di Ripetta Via Margutta in Roma segreta Artists fountain in Via Margutta
9.
Monti (rione of Rome)
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Monti is the name of one of the twenty-two Rioni of Rome, rione I, located in Municipio I. The name literally means mountains in Italian and comes from the fact that the Esquiline and the Viminal Hills, and parts of the Quirinal and its logo consists of three green mountains with three tops on a silver background. Today the Esquilino, Castro Pretorio and Celio districts do not belong to it anymore, in ancient times the rione was densely populated, in Monti there were the Forum Romanum and the so-called Suburra, this was the place poor people lived, full of disreputable locals and brothels. In the Middle Ages the situation was different, the Roman aqueducts were damaged. Hence many inhabitants moved to Campus Martius, a level part. From the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century, Monti was not densely populated because of the lack of water and because it was quite far from the Vatican, the center of Christian culture. The area did not become abandoned thanks to the church of San Giovanni in Laterano, still in the Middle Ages the inhabitants of Monti, called monticiani, developed a strong identity, their Roman dialect was different from that spoken in the other rioni. Their main enemies were the people from the other rione with an identity, Trastevere. The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum is located in Monti History, maps and images of the rione
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