All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page revised in March 2020.
Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller
- The Fourteen Quarters of Rome(coat of arms of Rione Sant'Eustachio)
The districts of Rome were defined in a precise manner in 1743 by Pope Benedict XIV. The area inside the walls was divided into 14 districts called Rioni. One of the criteria followed in the definition of the districts was to have an even distribution of the population, at the time grouped near the river. This explains why the area of the rioni is so different.
The 14 rioni of Rome on a late XIXth century map (clickable map)
Legend:
- I - Monti
- II - Trevi
- III - Colonna
- IV - Campo Marzio
- V - Ponte
- VI - Parione
- VII - Regola
- VIII - Sant'Eustachio
- IX - Pigna
- X - Campitelli
- XI - Sant'Angelo
- XII - Ripa
- XIII - Trastevere
- XIV - Borgo
The rioni were identified by inscriptions put at the border between two rioni: they always come in a pair on both sides of a street. When there is only one inscription then the building on the opposite side of the street is modern. The frames of the inscriptions follow an Ancient Rome pattern. In addition to the number and the name, the rioni were identified by a symbol, a sort of coat of arms.
The decision to divide Rome into fourteen quarters was in part suggested by the fact that also Ancient Rome was divided into fourteen regiones (hence rioni); thus Rome was also called Urbs regionum quatuordecim.
Approximate borders of the Regions (in red) of Ancient Rome
The division of Ancient Rome into fourteen regiones was introduced by Emperor Augustus to provide Rome with a new administrative structure which could meet the requirements of a very large city. The regiones were not limited by the walls which were built nearly 300 years later and they were only known by their number (as we still do for the arrondissements of Paris), but over time they were referred to by mentioning a monument or a hill included in the region. Transtiberim (Trastevere) was the only region of Ancient Rome on the right bank of the River Tiber.
Musei Capitolini: inscription on the base of a (lost) statue of Emperor Hadrian. The statue was erected by the "Magistri Vicorum Urbis Regionum XIIII", magistrates in charge of local religious ceremonies in the 14 regions into which Rome was divided
The table below provides an approximate relationship between the modern and the ancient division of Rome.
| Rione | Corresponding to Regio | Regio | Corresponding to Rione | I-Monti | II-Caelimontium III-Isis et Serapis IV-Templum Pacis V-Esquiliae VI-Alta Semita (in part) | I-Porta Capena | X-Campitelli (in part) | II-Trevi | VI-Alta Semita (in part) VII-Via Lata (in part) | II-Caelimontium | I-Monti (in part) | III-Colonna | VI-Alta Semita (in part) VII-Via Lata (in part) IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | III-Isis et Serapis | I-Monti (in part) | IV-Campo Marzio | VII-Via Lata (in part) IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | IV-Templum Pacis | I-Monti (in part) | V-Ponte | IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | V-Esquiliae | I-Monti (in part) | VI-Parione | IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | VI-Alta Semita | I-Monti (in part) II-Trevi (in part) III-Colonna (in part) |
VII-Regola | IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | VII-Via Lata | II-Trevi (in part) III-Colonna (in part) IV-Campo Marzio (in part) |
VIII-Sant'Eustachio | IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | VIII-Forum Romanum | X-Campitelli (in part) | IX-Pigna | IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | IX-Circus Flaminius | II-Trevi (in part) III-Colonna (in part) IV-Campo Marzio (in part) V-Ponte VI-Parione VII-Regola VIII-Sant'Eustachio IX- Pigna XI-Sant'Angelo |
X-Campitelli | I-Porta Capena VIII-Forum Romanum X-Palatium | X-Palatium | X-Campitelli (in part) | XI-Sant'Angelo | IX-Circus Flaminius (in part) | XI-Circus Maximus | XII-Ripa (in part) | XII-Ripa | XI-Circus Maximus XII-Piscina Publica XIII-Aventinus | XII-Piscina Publica | XII-Ripa (in part) | XIII-Trastevere | XIV-Transtiberim | XIII-Aventinus | XII-Ripa (in part) | XIV-Borgo | Outside the walls of Ancient Rome | XIV-Transtiberim | XIII-Trastevere |
The table shows how the most populated areas of Ancient Rome (on the hills) were abandoned in favour of locations
close to the river. For this reason three modern rioni (Monti, Campitelli, Ripa) covered the same area of 10 ancient regiones, while
a single regio (Circus Flaminius) was in the XVIIIth century divided into more than 6 rioni. The following is a description of the populated part of Rome in 1594:
If you draw a line from the East-side of the Mountaine
Capitolino to the Gate del popolo, lying towards the North; and from the said Mountaine draw
a line to the furthest part of the Bridge upon the West
side of the Iland of Tyber, this compasse may truly be
called Rome, as at this day it is inhabited; for the rest
lies wilde, having only ruines, and some scattered Churches
and houses, and towards the South, fieldes of corne within the walles.
Fynes Moryson - An Itinerary: Containing His Ten Years Travel Through .. Italy (in 1594)
In 1921 the rioni were increased from 14 to 22:
I-Monti was divided into 3 rioni (Monti, Esquilino, Castro Pretorio);
II-Colonna was divided into 2 rioni (Colonna and Ludovisi);
III-Trevi was divided into 2 rioni (Trevi and Sallustiano);
X-Campitelli was divided into 2 rioni (Campitelli and Celio);
XII-Ripa was divided into 3 rioni (Ripa, Testaccio, San Saba);
the area north of Porta Castello became a new rione: Prati.
Today (2015) Rome is divided into 19 municipalities: the first one includes all the historical rioni.
You can now start your tour of the Rioni.
| I - Monti | II - Trevi |
| III - Colonna | IV - Campo Marzio |
| V - Ponte | VI - Parione |
| VII - Regola | VIII - Sant'Eustachio |
| IX - Pigna | X - Campitelli |
| XI - Sant'Angelo | XII - Ripa |
| XIII - Trastevere | XIV - Borgo |
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