Those who know it know: Rome holds incredible wonders in each of its neighborhoods. Whether archaeological sites, precious churches, ancient and modern museums, famous monuments or breathtaking views, beauty is everywhere. And in the Borgo district, beauty, even, overflows. Castel Sant ‘ Angelo and its scenic bridge would be enough to convince even the most skeptical. But instead, the Borgo district, squeezed between the Vatican City, the Tiber and the Prati district, also offers Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, picturesque views and much more: let’s go discover it.
A new neighborhood with a very ancient history
On December 9, 1586, Borgo officially became the 14th district of Rome at the behest of Pope Sixtus V. But the history of Borgo begins much earlier, in Roman times, when it was located outside the boundary of the ancient city and was, therefore, an area dedicated to burials. Attracted by the beauty of the area, Roman emperors and their relatives began to build villas, gardens and even a circus: a facility for chariot and horse shows commissioned by Caligula and expanded by Nero. In the center of the ring towered the Egyptian obelisk that now stands in St. Peter’s Square ( Click Here for more Information), and near the circus stood a pyramid similar to the Cestia pyramid, still visible in the city today in the Ostiense district.
As Christianity spread, devotion to the tomb of St. Peter, buried where the famous basilica dedicated to him stands today, increased dramatically and made the Vatican a popular place of pilgrimage. The flow of devotees continued to grow to the present day, despite the events, even dramatic ones, that affected the neighborhood.
From barbarian village to pope’s city
Following Totila, in 547 the Goths arrived in Rome but, unable to penetrate inside the Mole Adriana, they settled near it, creating a small village, “burg” in German, from which the name of our neighborhood derives.
Exactly three centuries later Borgo was devastated by a fire which, legend has it, was extinguished thanks to a solemn blessing given by Pope Leo IV. This episode was immortalized in the fresco The Fire of Borgo, painted by Raphael in the room of the same name in the Vatican Museums. Raids by would-be invaders followed one another over the years until Leo IV ordered the construction of walls – the Leonine Walls, about 5 km long and erected between 848 and 852 – to preserve one of the most important areas of Christianity: the Vatican Hill with St. Peter’s Basilica. Protected by this important defensive work, Borgo was transformed into Civitas Nova, then Civitas Leonina, a place, distinct from Rome. In the coat of arms of the Borgo district, the crouching lion is a reference to the Leonine City, while the three mountains and star are part of the insignia of Sixtus V. Borgo was “the pope’s city” until 1929, when the Lateran Pacts sanctioned the birth of the Vatican State, excluding from the district’s boundaries the area that includes St. Peter’s Square with the basilica of the same name, the Apostolic Palace, the Governor’s Palace, the Vatican Museums, the Vatican Gardens and other minor buildings.
The Passetto di Borgo: the popes’ escape route
Rome’s most irreverent and biting cantor, Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, dedicated a sonnet to it in 1845: “Lo vòi sapé cch’ edè cquer corritore / Che, ccuperto cqua e llà dda un tettarello / Da San Pietro va gù ssin a Ccastello, / Dove tira a le vorte aria mijjore?”
The “corritore” of Belli’s verses, “er Coridore” for DOC Romans, is precisely the Passetto di Borgo, a protected walkway that connects the papal residence in the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo.
The first sketch of the Passetto is owed to Totila, who had built a defensive structure around his military encampment near Castel Sant’Angelo, but it was Pope Nicholas III (1277-80) who gave the Passetto its present form by having the corridor above the Leonine Walls covered over to use it as a sheltered path. During the Sack of Rome in 1527, Pope Clement VII used the Passetto to escape into the papal fortress and escape the devastating fury of the Lansquenets.The Passetto lost its defensive function when, at the behest of Pope Pius IV (1559-65), a new city wall was erected around the Vatican Palaces and the archways were opened that connected the road layout of the Leonine City to the new Borgo streets desired by the pontiff: Borgo Pio, Borgo Vittorio and Borgo Angelico.
The Borgo district in the Renaissance
The first half of the 16th century was a period of rebirth and renewal for Borgo as well, which, thanks to the reconstruction of St. Peter’ s Basilica, attracted many artists and was affected by intense building activity. Splendid palaces were built for prelates, nobles and wealthy bourgeoisie. Several of these buildings, unfortunately, were demolished for the opening of Via della Conciliazione, but some were rebuilt and others spared, and can still be admired today. Among them, mention must be made of Palazzo Castellesi, now Torlonia, Palazzo dei Penitenzieri, Palazzo Serristori and Palazzo Jacopo da Brescia.
In the Borgo, in the 16th century, there were also many “stoves,” a sort of ante litteram spa, where one could relax or entertain with courtesans, and where artists, including Michelangelo and Raphael, could study nudes in comfort.
Santo Spirito in Sassia: a state-of-the-art ancient structure
The Santo Spirito in Sassia complex is one of the most important places in the Borgo district. Its current appearance is the result of expansions and transformations that affected the various buildings that comprise it: the ancient hospital, one of the first in Europe, with its new wing; the 16th-century Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia; the Palazzo del Commendatore, famous for its porticoed courtyard and Baroque clock, and home to the Spezieria; and the National Historical Museum of Sanitary Art, which preserves medical instruments from past centuries and the first Red Cross carriage.
The hospital, founded in 1198 at the behest of Pope Innocent III, came into being not only to care for the poor and pilgrims, but also to take in the many infants who were abandoned in the streets or even thrown into the Tiber. Through the “wheel,” still visible today in Borgo Santo Spirito, next to number 2, unwanted babies were anonymously entrusted to the hospital’s care.
The birth of Via della Conciliazione
The most important urban intervention carried out in modern times in the Borgo district was the demolition of its so-called “spina,” a block of buildings enclosed between two converging streets, which gave the block the shape of a triangle pointing toward Castel Sant’Angelo. The destruction of the spina di Borgo, between 1935 and 1937, allowed the opening of Via della Conciliazione, an ideal link between the Vatican and Italian states. When you are standing in front of Via della Conciliazione, one of the most photographed streets in the world, with the grandiose facade of St. Peter’s Basilica and the dome in the background, you will think you are admiring an absolute masterpiece, and yet… Yet imagine for a moment getting lost in that maze of alleys and ancient buildings that was the spina di Borgo and suddenly finding yourself facing the majesty of the Colonnade of St. Peter’s Square with the basilica and the dome. Are you not out of breath? This must have been the scenographic effect Gian Lorenzo Bernini wanted when he designed the entire area in front of the basilica! The symbolic place of the Church of Rome had to appear and impose itself “by surprise,” arousing awe and wonder in observers, and not be relegated to a simple backdrop, admittedly monumental, but still static.
Walking around Borgo
Now that you know a little more about the history of this district, treat yourself to a stroll through its characteristic alleys paved with cobblestones and explore the pastel-colored buildings, stores, hidden works of street art and some picturesque views to photograph.
If you’re thirsty or want to refill your water bottle, look for the Borgo’s two small local fountains, the Cannonballs Fountain and the Tiare Fountain, both made in 1927, or the older Acqua Marcia Fountain, built in 1870 in Catalone Square.
If, on the other hand, you love the macabre, don’t miss the House of the Executioner, in Vicolo del Campanile, you must live Mastro Titta, the executioner of Rome, who between 1796 and 1864 executed more than 500 people by order of the popes. In those days, executions were real spectacles attended even by children, who were admonished by adults to behave themselves to avoid ending up like the executioner’s victims. Mastro Titta’s red cloak and other memorabilia are preserved in the Criminological Museum of Rome, about 1 km from the Executioner’s House. In Borgo you will also find many bars and restaurants where you can take a break after visiting St. Peter’s Basilica or Castel Sant’ Angelo. Beware: many of these places are real tourist traps, but know that some authentic places still exist (and resist!) where you can relax and enjoy something genuine.
