Trevi is a corruption of the Latin trivium (three-way crossroads). Three main roads once converged in the center of the area, at a place corresponding to Piazza dei Crociferi. The shape of the square still remotely resembles the original crossroads.
There is another version, according to which the word Trevi is derived from Trebium, the name of the area from whose springs the aqueduct Aqua Virgo was fed in the Middle Ages.
In addition, the medieval name of the district, Regio Trivi et Vielate, also included the distorted name of Via Lata (now Via del Corso), the urban section of Via Flaminia, the southern part of which is part of the district.
The coat of arms of the district are three swords arranged horizontally, or diagonally. They probably symbolized the three roads of the crossroads.
The Trevi neighborhood is bounded by squares and streets: piazza Madonna di Loreto, vicolo San Bernardo, via Magnanapoli, via 24 Maggio, via del Quirinale, via 20 Settembre, piazza San Bernardo, via di Santa Susanna, via Leonida Bisolati, via di San Basilio, piazza Barberini, via del Tritone, via del Nazareno, via del Bufalo, via del Pozzetto, piazza San Claudio, via di Santa Maria in Via, via delle Muratte, via del Corso and piazza Venezia.
The district includes most of the Quirinal Hill and the land on its western and southern sides, partially corresponding to the ancient Regio VII, named after the Via Lata. In imperial times the lower part of the said regio was a busy neighborhood filled with merchants’ shops, and in its sparsely populated hilly part stood only a few wealthy mansions.
At the site of the trivium was the main outlet of the Aquae Virgo aqueduct, built in 19 BC. Being the only aqueduct to have been repaired over the centuries and remaining operational, it allowed the Trevi to survive the Middle Ages better than other areas. However, the change of its sources significantly deteriorated the quality of the water supplied, a situation that was only remedied after the complete restoration of the aqueduct in 1562.
In the second half of the same 16th century, the economic life of the lower part of the district was significantly revitalized by the transfer of the popes’ official residence to the Quirinal Palace (1).
Today, the main attraction of the neighborhood is one of the symbols of Rome, visited annually by thousands of tourists from all over the world, the Trevi Fountain (2). It is located on one side of the large family mansion Palazzo Poli and is in the form of an allegory in which the god Ocean rides among the rocks in a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two horses, while water pours from several outlets into a huge pool. The small size of the square only enhances the stunning effect of this monumental composition.
Tourists have a tradition of throwing coins into the fountain to return to Rome one day. Once a week these coins are collected and the resulting substantial sum is donated to charity.
In front of the fountain is a row of houses whose walls include several ancient columns. These are the remains of a medieval porch, fully incorporated into the present development. It is quite obvious that tourists never notice these details, completely taken in by the spectacle of the fountain.
At the corner of the same square stands the Baroque church of Saints Vincenzo and Anastasio (3), Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio Trevi. It houses some unusual and rather gruesome relics – the hearts of nearly 30 popes, from Sixtus V to Leo XIII. The custom of embalming pontiffs came into use in the late 16th century. Because the heart was a “perishable” organ, it was removed and placed in a separate urn. The privilege of keeping such urns is given to this church, as it is the official parish church of the Quirinal Palace, where the popes set up their summer residence, starting with Sixtus V. At the main altar are two large plaques listing all the names of these popes.
Via della Stamperia faces the facade of Palazzo Poli, where the famous poet Giuseppe Gioachino Belli lived in the first half of the 19th century. In front of the mansion, in a small triangular square stands the historic Palazzo Carpegna, built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Since 1932 it has housed the Accademia Nazionale di Sant’Luca (4), an ancient artists’ guild moved here from its original site in the Roman Forum.
If you leave the fountain square along Via delle Muratte (to the left of the fountain basin) and turn left at the second crossroads, at the end of a short alley you reach the Galleria Schiarra (5), a public passage richly decorated with frescoes, the entrance to which is partially blocked by a large original chain.
The arcade was originally built as a private courtyard of Palazzo Schiarra, a large building on either side of the arcade. The part to the right of the arcade was the first to be built during the Renaissance. Its facade faces the Via del Corso, the border of the Trevi district. In 1880, the owner, still belonging to the Schiarra family, restored the palace and built this small courtyard. But it was soon turned into a passageway to the Piazza dell’Oratorio, located at the opposite side of the building. The chains that prevented carriages from crossing the courtyard were left as decoration. The passage itself is now owned by the Roma Foundation, and its beautifully decorated interior is one of the few examples of Art Nouveau among Rome’s public buildings.
Passing through the passage, we enter Via di San Marcello through the above-mentioned piazza. About halfway down it, on the left side, is a narrow unnamed alley, at the end of which stands the tiny chapel of the Madonna del Archetto (6).
The same street ends in the long, narrow Piazza Santi Apostoli. Its west side (right) is occupied by the Palazzo Chigi Odescalchi (7), built over a former medieval house. The first restoration in the early 17th century was carried out by Carlo Maderno, and in 1665 Gianlorenzo Bernini rebuilt the building. The palace originally belonged to the Colonna family, but in 1661 the Chigi family moved in, and in 1745 the palace was bought by the Odescalchi family, who still own it today. The Odescalchi’s extended the mansion with the help of the architect Luigi Vanvitelli.
An even larger complex is on the opposite side of the square. It is Palazzo Colonna (8), one of the largest and oldest family mansions in Rome, occupying an entire block. Its core was built in the form of a fortress back in the time of Pope Martin V (1417-1431), in the world Oddone Colonna. Over the next four centuries, the building was enlarged through the acquisition of nearby land, gradually becoming a princely residence. Its famous gallery, which runs along IV November Street, houses a rich collection of paintings by the most prominent artists of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The long porch in the central part of the building, crowned with a number of statues from the late 17th century, belongs to the Basilica of the Holy Twelve Apostles (9) (more often referred to simply as the Holy Apostles), surrounded on both sides by the Palazzo Colonna.
The church was founded as early as the 6th century, and its name comes from the relics of the apostles Philip and James Alpheus kept there. The first building, richly decorated, was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1348. It was rebuilt about a century later during the pontificate of Martin V. A porch was added at that time. The two lions bearing columns (no columns now) that frame the doorway also belong to this period.
The third lion is mounted under a large plaque with an eagle holding the name BASSALLECTUS (Vassalletto), belonging to a famous family of marble carvers from the early 13th century. This fragment survives from the preceding building. At the beginning of the 18th century, the basilica was completely rebuilt in late Baroque style, and in 1787 the tomb of Pope Clement XIV was installed in it.
To the left of the porch is the entrance to the church’s three cloisters (only two are open to the public). On the wall of the second of these hangs a Renaissance tombstone with a reclining bearded figure. In February 1564, Michelangelo was temporarily buried here before his remains were moved to Florence. However, the carved figure is not the genius master (despite the resemblance), but the philosopher Ferdinando Eustachio, who died in 1594.
In their palace, the Colonna family held lavish banquets for high society. But once in the courtyard, before going upstairs, any male guest, be he ambassador, minister, prince or cardinal, according to an ancient and strange tradition, had to urinate in flower pots with myrtle and oranges growing in them, lined up along the wall. This tradition was discontinued only in 1870, when the Papal State fell.
This was not the only curious custom of the Colonna family. During the 16th century, on the first day of May, they used to throw chickens and other poultry from the windows of their house to the people in the square below, who would furiously join in the game. This event was followed by a sort of climbing contest on greased poles held in the church. The prize was a pig. Pots hung from the ceiling, from which large quantities of water were poured out upon the contestants amid general merriment.
The only part of the quarter not belonging to Palazzo Colonna is to the left of the basilica. This is the Palazzo dei Santi Apostoli, or Palazzo Rovere, built in 1475 for Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (future Pope Julius II) in early Renaissance style with a tower on the corner, now the property of the Vatican.
The right corner of Palazzo Colonna has been occupied by the Wax Museum (10) since the mid-20th century. Reviews about it are, to put it mildly, unimpressive. Judging by them, the figures are quite far from reality.
The mansion opposite the museum is Palazzo Valentini (11) (formerly Palazzo Imperiali). Cardinal Michele Bonelli built it for himself in 1585 on top of a pre-existing building belonging to the Boncompagni family. Michele Bonelli was also known as Cardinal Alessandrino. The same “title” was held by his uncle before his election as Pope Pius V. The fact is that they both came from the neighborhood of Alessandria, located in the northern region of Piedmont.
In addition to the mansion, the cardinal also owned the land behind it, which now corresponds to the Imperial Forums (not yet excavated). In those years an entire neighborhood was built on them, called the Alessandrino district after its owner and demolished only between 1924 and 1932 (see Monti district).
At the very beginning of the 18th century, the new owner of the mansion, Cardinal Imperiali, carried out extensive renovations and moved his private library, one of the largest in Rome at the time (about 20,000 books). In the middle of the century, ownership of the building passed to Cardinal Spinelli, who opened the library to the public, but after only forty years all the books were auctioned off. In 1827, the mansion was acquired by the banker Valentini, from which the current name comes. Since 1873 it has belonged to the city administration and serves as the seat of the Provincial Council of Rome.
Archaeological excavations carried out under the mansion at different times have uncovered the remains of ancient patrician houses.
Behind Palazzo Colonna runs Via della Pilotta (12), crossed by many arches. These are actually air corridors connecting the palace with its gardens, i.e. Villa Colonna, stretching along the Quirinal Hill. Their main entrance is on the opposite side.
The street crosses the Piazza della Pilotta (13), on which stands the large building of the Pontifical Gregorian University (1930). In the 16th century, residents began to play a game in this square in which they had to hit a ball with their fist, sending it into the wall, similar to the Spanish game of pelota. This game gave rise to the curious toponym Pilotta.
If you turn right at the first crossroads after the square, you can follow the rather steep Via della Dataria to the Quirinal Square, where the Quirinal Palace was built in the second half of the 16th century. It was originally intended as a summer residence for the popes, but the pontiffs soon decided to move in for good. In 1870 the palace became the residence of the Italian royal family, and in 1948 it became the residence of the president.
In front of the palace is the fountain of the Dioscuri (14), surrounded by two huge statues of Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Jupiter, leading horses. Between the statues is an obelisk.
On Sundays there is a changing of the guard ceremony in the square, in the summer at 6 pm and at 4 pm the rest of the year.
The Quirinal Palace once had huge stables that housed not only horses but also carriages. This building is on the opposite side of the square to the palace (15). It is now used as a gallery for temporary art exhibitions. On the left side of the former stables is a monumental double staircase leading to the main entrance to the gardens of Palazzo Colonna.
The third side of the square is occupied by another imposing palace, the Palazzo della Consul, located, however, in the Monti district.
Behind the Quirinal Palace are its famous gardens (16), which cover most of the top of the Quirinal Hill. Unfortunately, they are only open to the public once a year. In 1902, a large tunnel was built under the gardens, connecting the busy streets on either side of the hill, Via Nazionale and Via del Tritone.
Walking along Via del Quirinale, we come to an intersection whose corners are decorated with four small fountains. This place, known as the Four Fountains (17), is famous because from the middle of the intersection three ancient obelisks can be seen in three different directions. One is the aforementioned obelisk in the Piazza Quirinal, another is the obelisk of Sallustius at the top of the Spanish Steps in front of the Trinita dei Monti church, and the third is the Liberian obelisk at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The last two obelisks are connected by a long and perfectly straight street running from the top of Pincio Hill to Esquilin Hill, crossing the Four Fountains at about the middle of its length. This street, with a total length of about 3 km, was opened in 1590 by Pope Sixtus V to connect the church of Trinita dei Monti with the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and, further on, with the Basilica of Santa Croce in Jerusalemme. Originally called Via Felice (Happy Street) after the pope’s own name, Felice Peretti, it is now divided into several sections with their own names – Via Sistina, Via delle Quattro Fontane, Via del Esquilino, Via Carlo Alberto, Via Conte Verde and Via di Santa Croce in Jerusalemme.
Halfway down the steep Via delle Quattro Fontane on the right side of the street is a huge gate with tall decorative columns, giving access to the grounds of the city’s largest Baroque mansion, Palazzo Barberini (18). By 1633, it was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII, who belonged to this powerful family. The best architects and artists of Rome at the time, such as Carlo Maderno, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, worked on the palace.
The plan of the building is very similar to that of Villa Farnesina in the Trastevere area, which probably influenced Urban’s design. The Barberini family previously lived in a large building in the Regola district, one part of which is now a pawnshop. The Palazzo Barberini itself now houses part of the National Gallery of Ancient Art and hosts temporary art exhibitions.
On the corner of the building in front of Palazzo Barberini, where Via delle Quattro Fontane branches off from Via degli Avignonesi, there is a commemorative plaque dating from the first quarter of the 17th century.
The inscription on it reads:
To Pope Paul V
the Grimani family
erected a monument
in gratitude
on a nearby property
known as Grimana.
The area mentioned in the inscription is today’s Piazza Barberini (19), called Piazza Grimana until 1627 and then Piazza Sforza until 1640. However, there is no monument to Paul V on it and it cannot be found on early 17th century plans of the city. So the inscription remains a mystery.
But in the center of the aforementioned square stands the Fountain of Triton, one of the most famous works of Gianlorenzo Bernini, who carved the bold composition in 1644, shortly after completing his duties to create the Palazzo Barberini. And in the corner of the square is his small fountain in the shape of a sea shell with three bees (Fountain of the Bees), the heraldic symbol of the Barberini family.
Another small “private” fountain by Bernini can be found in the courtyard of Palazzo Antamoro (20), located on Via della Panetteria 15, near Piazza Trevi. This fountain was made in the late 1660s in the form of two twin tritons blowing into basins. The commission came from a relative of Pope Clement IX who lived here. The coat of arms crowning the composition originally belonged to the Rospigliosi family, from which the Pope was descended, but was later replaced by the coat of arms of the family of Cardinal Antamoro, who bought the palace in the 18th century.
Since several families still live in the building, the entrance is not always open. However, if the courtyard happens to be accessible, it is worth a peek to see the master’s work, though minor and still bearing recognizable features.
The easternmost corner of the Trevi neighborhood is occupied by the church of Santa Maria in Via (21). In 1256, this was the site of the stables of Cardinal Capocci’s mansion. On the night of September 26-27, the well there suddenly began to overflow, flooding the stable. During this overflow, a small image of the Virgin Mary mysteriously floated out of the well, after which the flooding immediately stopped.
At the beginning of the 16th century, a church was built on the site of the old stables in honor of the amazing image known as the Madonna at the Well, believed to have the power to work miracles. By the end of the same century, the church had been completely rebuilt to its present form.
In the first chapel on the right, in a niche on the right wall, there is a small marble well that is said to draw water from the same place as the original well. Drinking water from this spring (paper cups are always available) is considered a form of worship of the 13th century image above the altar.
