Monti is the 1st of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, identified by the initials R. I, located in

Municipio I Municipio I is an administrative subdivision of the municipality of Rome, encompassing the centre of the city. It was first created by Rome's city council on 19 January 2001 and has a president who is elected during the mayoral elections. On 11 ...

. The name literally means 'mountains' in Italian and comes from the fact that the

Esquiline The Esquiline Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is that the hill was named after the ...

, the

Viminal Hill The Viminal Hill ( ; ; ) is the smallest of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. A finger-shape cusp pointing toward central Rome between the Quirinal Hill to the northwest and the Esquiline Hill to the southeast, it is home to the Teatro dell'O ...

s, and parts of the

Quirinal The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has com ...

and the

Caelian Hill The Caelian Hill ( ; ; ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Geography The Caelian Hill is a moderately long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill overlooks a plateau from wh ...

s belonged to this : currently, however, the Esquiline Hill belongs to the rione Esquilino. The coat of arms consists of three green mountains with three tops on a silver background.

History

ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

, the ''rione'' was densely populated; Monti was home to the

Forum Romanum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along ...

and the so-called ''

Suburra The Suburra, or ''Subura'' (from the latin ''Subura'') was a vast and populous neighborhood of Ancient Rome, located below the '' Murus Terreus'' on the '' Carinae'' and stretching on the slopes of the Quirinal and Viminal hills up to the offs ...

,'' where poor people lived, full of disreputable locals and brothels. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the situation was completely different: the Roman aqueducts were damaged, and it was very difficult to bring water to Monti since it was on the hills. Hence many inhabitants moved to

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for 'Field of Mars'; Italian: ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

, a lower level part, where they could drink the water from the river

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

. From the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century, the ''rione'' remained an area full of vineyards and vegetable gardens. Monti was not densely populated because of the lack of water and because it was quite far from the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

, the center of Christian culture. The area did not become abandoned thanks to the church of

San Giovanni in Laterano The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of A ...

and the constant high number of pilgrims. 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 a strong identity,

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin (). Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lion on a red background, the meaning of which i ...

, and they often used to fight with one another. Then, with growing urbanization at the end of the 19th century after Rome had become the capital of a united Italy, the great changes of the Fascist period completely changed the appearance of the rione. In particular, between 1924 and 1936, a large part of the rione, consisting of small streets and popular houses, was destroyed to make way for the

Via dei Fori Imperiali The Via dei Fori Imperiali (formerly ''Via dei Monti'', then ''Via dell'Impero'') is a road in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, that is in a straight line from the Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Its course takes it over parts of the For ...

(the street artificially dividing the

Roman Forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...

and most of the

Imperial forums The Imperial Fora (''Fori Imperiali '' in Italian) are a series of monumental ''Forum (Roman), fora'' (public squares), constructed in Rome over a period of one and a half centuries, between 46 BC and 113 AD. The fora were the center of the Roman ...

) and the archaeological buildings of the Forum Romanum were excavated. Thanks to its position, Monti is full of archaeological sites such as: *

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

Ludus Magnus The Ludus Magnus (lat.:''Domus Vectiliana''), also known as the Great Gladiatorial Training School, was the largest of the gladiatorial schools in Rome. It was built by the emperor Domitian (r. 81–96 C.E.) in the late first century C.E., along ...

(the gym for

gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

s) *

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

Domus Aurea The Domus Aurea (Latin, "Golden House") was a vast landscaped complex built by the Roman Empire, Emperor Nero largely on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome after the Great Fire of Rome, great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part ...

* the

Baths of Trajan The Baths of Trajan () were a massive ''thermae'', a bathing and leisure complex, built in ancient Rome and dedicated under Trajan during the '' kalendae'' of July 109, shortly after the Aqua Traiana was dedicated. History Commissioned by Emp ...

* the

Baths of Titus The Baths of Titus or ''Thermae Titi'' were public baths Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gend ...

* part of the

Markets of Trajan Trajan's Market (; ) is a large complex of ruins in the city of Rome, Italy, located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at the opposite end to the Colosseum. The surviving buildings and structures, built as an integral part of Trajan's Forum and nes ...

Geography

Boundaries

To the north, the ''rione'' borders with

Trevi The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) of the European Union (EU) is a policy domain concerning home affairs and migration, justice as well as fundamental rights, developed to address the challenges posed to internal security by col ...

(R. II), from which it is separated by the Foro Traiano, Via IV Novembre, Largo Magnanapoli, Via XXIV Maggio and Via del Quirinale; and with

Castro Pretorio Castro Pretorio is the 18th ''rione'' of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. XVIII, and it is located within the Municipio I. The ''rione'' takes its name by the ruins of the '' Castrum Praetorium'', the barracks of the Praetorian Guard, i ...

(R. XVIII), the boundary being defined by Via delle Quattro Fontane, Via

Agostino Depretis Agostino Depretis (31 January 181329 July 1887) was an Italian statesman and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Italy for several stretches between 1876 and 1887, and was leader of the Historical Left parliamentary group for more than a de ...

, Piazza dell'Esquilino and Via dell'Esquilino. To the east, the ''rione'' borders with Esquilino (R. XV): the boundary is marked by Piazza di

Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim C ...

, Via Merulana, Piazza di

and Piazza di Porta San Giovanni. To the south, it is separated from ''

Quartiere A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

Appio-Latino Appio-Latino is the 9th ''quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. IX. The name derives from the ancient roads Via Appia and Via Latina. It belongs to the Municipio VII and Municipio VIII. History The origins of the territor ...

(Q. IX) by the stretch of the

Aurelian Walls The Aurelian Walls () are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. They superseded the earlier Servian Wall built during the 4th century BC. The walls enclosed all the ...

between Porta San Giovanni and Porta Metronia. To the west, Monti borders with Celio (R. XIX), whose boundary is marked by Piazza di Porta Metronia, Via della Navicella, Via di Santo Stefano Rotondo, Via di San Giovanni in Laterano and Piazza del

Colosseo The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

; it also borders with

Campitelli Campitelli is the 10th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. X, and is located in the Municipio I. Its emblem consists of a black dragon's head on a white background. This symbol comes from the legend that Pope Silvester I threw out a ...

(R. X), whose boundary is marked by

Places of interest

Palaces and other buildings

* Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi, in Via Campo Carleo. * Palazzo Brancaccio, In Via Merulana. *

Palazzo della Consulta The Palazzo della Consulta (built 1732–1737) is a late Baroque palace in central Rome, Italy; since 1955, it houses the Constitutional Court of Italy, Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic. It sits across the Piazza del Quirinale from the ...

, in Piazza del Quirinale. * Palazzo del Grillo, in Piazza del Grillo. *

Palazzo delle Esposizioni The Palazzo delle Esposizioni is a Neoclassicism, neoclassical exhibition hall, cultural center and museum on Via Nazionale (Rome), Via Nazionale in Rome, Italy. History Designed by Pio Piacentini, it opened in 1883. It has housed several exhi ...

, in Via Nazionale. *

Palazzo Koch Palazzo Koch is a Renaissance Revival architecture, Renaissance Revival palace on Via Nazionale (Rome), Via Nazionale in Rome, Italy. Initially commissioned by the National Bank of the Kingdom of Italy and built in 1888-1892, it is the current he ...

, seat of the

Banca d'Italia The Bank of Italy (Italian language, Italian: ''Banca d'Italia'', , informally referred to as ''Bankitalia'') is the National central bank (Eurosystem), national central bank for Italy within the Eurosystem. It was the Italian central bank from ...

, in Via Nazionale. * Palazzo del Laterano, in Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano. *

Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi The Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi is a palace in Rome, Italy. It was built by the Borghese family on the Quirinal Hill; its footprint occupies the site where the ruins of the baths of Constantine (Rome), baths of Constantine stood, whose remai ...

, in Via XXIV Maggio. *

Palazzo del Viminale The Palazzo del Viminale is a historic palace in Rome (Italy), seat of the Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister and of the Ministry of Interior (Italy), Ministry of Interior since 1925; in 1961 the Prime Minister was transferred to Palazzo Chi ...

, in Piazza del Viminale.

Churches

Sant'Agata dei Goti Sant'Agata dei Goti is a titular church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the martyr Agatha of Sicily and the home of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata’s (Stigmatines) General Curia. The ''diaconia'' is assigned to Cardinal Raymond Leo Bur ...

* Sant'Andrea al Quirinale *

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane The church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (Saint Charles at the Four Fountains), also called , is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, Italy. The church was designed by the architect Francesco Borromini and it was his first independent commission. ...

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

* Santa Maria dei Monti *

San Martino ai Monti San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti (rione of Rome), Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge o ...

Santa Prassede The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (, ), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an early medieval titulus (Roman Catholic), titular church and minor basilica located near the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major, on Via di Santa Prassede, Mont ...

San Pietro in Vincoli San Pietro in Vincoli (; Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy. The church is on the Oppian Hill near Cavour metro station, a short distance from the Colosseum. The name alludes to the Bibl ...

Santa Pudenziana The Basilica of Santa Pudenziana (Spanish—Filipino: ''Santa Potenciana'') is the eldest Roman Catholic basilica built in the fourth century. The original shrine building dates back from the second century and is dedicated to Saint Pudentiana, ...

* Santi Quirico e Giulitta * Santi Domenico e Sisto *

Santo Stefano Rotondo The Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Caelian Hill (, ) is an ancient basilica and titular church in Rome, Italy. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, the church is Hungary's "national church" in Rome, dedicated to both Saint Stephen, ...

* San Vitale *

* Santi Marcellino e Pietro * Santa Lucia in Selci

Archaeological sites

Forum of Augustus The Forum of Augustus (; ) is one of the Imperial fora of Rome, Italy, built by Augustus (). It includes the Temple of Mars Ultor. The incomplete forum and its temple were inaugurated in 2 BC, 40 years after they were first vowed. History The ...

Forum of Caesar The Forum of Caesar, also known by the Latin Forum Iulium or Forum Julium, Forum Caesaris,Hornblower, Simon and Antony Spawforth. ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary''. 3d Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. was a forum built by Julius Caes ...

Forum of Nerva Forum of Nerva (; ) is an ancient structure in Rome, Italy, chronologically the next to the last of the Imperial fora built. Forum of Nerva (Forum Transitorium) The Imperial fora within the city of Rome have, in recent decades, become again a ...

Trajan's Forum Trajan's Forum (; ) was the last of the Imperial fora to be constructed in ancient Rome. The architect Apollodorus of Damascus oversaw its construction. History This forum was built on the order of the emperor Trajan with the spoils of war f ...

Trajan's Market Trajan's Market (; ) is a large complex of ruins in the city of Rome, Italy, located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at the opposite end to the Colosseum. The surviving buildings and structures, built as an integral part of Trajan's Forum and ...

Education

The ''biblioteca federata'' ''Scaffale d'arte Palaexpo'' is located in Monti.Biblioteche ed i Centri specializzati
" City of Rome. Retrieved on 8 September 2012. The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, ''Angelicum'' is located in ''Monti''.

References

External links

History, maps and images of the rione
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monti (Rione Of Rome) Rioni of Rome