Logo of the rione

Borgo is the XIV rione of Rome. A map of the center of Rome with its rioni The word rione (pl. ...

History

The territory of Borgo during the Roman age was part of the Regio called Transtiberim, and was named Ager Vaticanus, after the auguries (vaticinii) which were taken there by the roman priests. Since it lied outside the Pomerium, it was used as burial place. Some tombs reached large proportion. Among them, the so called Meta Romuli, a Pyramid similar to that still standing near Porta S. Paolo, was demolished only in year 1500. At the foot of the Vatican hill started two roads: the Via Cornelia, which joined the Via Aurelia near Tarquinii, and the Via Trionfale (triumphal Road). It was named so because, starting with Titus the Roman emperors celebrating their Triumphs entered the city using it. Emperor Gaius built in the Vatican a Circus, which was then enlarged by Nero (the obelisk standing in St. Peter Square was its spina). It was connected to the city thru an archway. Nero built also a Bridge, (whose ruins can still seen in the Tiber) the Pons Neronianus or Triumphalis. Emperor Hadrian built near the Tiber his huge Mausoleum, which he connected to the left bank of the river with another Bridge, the Pons Elius (today's Ponte Sant'Angelo). The pomerium (or pomoerium) was the sacred boundary of the city of Rome. ... 1500 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Via Aurelia was the Roman road which passed out of ancient Rome through the Porta Aurelia in the Aurelian Walls and ran to the coast a little southeast of modern Palidoro and then followed a coastal route north to Vada Volaterrana. ... Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy. ... This article is about the emperor of ancient Rome. ... Triumph is a British car brand (see Triumph Motor Company), as well as a motorcycle brand (see Triumph Motorcycles). ... This article is about Gaius, the jurist. ... The Big Top of Billy Smarts Circus Cambridge 2004. ... Nero Claudius Cæsar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37 – June 9, 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (54–68). ... The Luxor obelisk in the Place de la Concorde in Paris An obelisk is a tall, thin, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramidal top. ... Tiber River in Rome The River Tiber (Italian Tevere), the third-longest river in Italy at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in two branches that cross the suburbs of... A bust of Hadrian. ... St. ... Ponte SantAngelo. ...

But what changed forever the destiny of the zone was the martyrdom of St. Peter at the foot of the Vatican hill in year 67. The Saint was buried nearby, and this turned the Vatican to a pilgrimage place. Above the tomb of the Saint was built a small church , which Emperor Constantine turned into an huge Basilica. St. Peter became soon one of the centers of Christianity. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century Decades: 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s - 60s - 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Years: 62 63 64 65 66 - 67 - 68 69 70 71 72 Events Linus succeeds Saint Peter as pope. ... Constantine has many usages: People called Constantine Rulers called Constantine Constantine I (emperor), commonly known as Constantine the Great Constantine II (emperor) Constantine III (usurper) Constantine III (emperor) Constantine IV Constantine V Constantine VI Constantine VII Constantine VIII Constantine IX Constantine X Constantine XI Constantine I of Armenia Constantine II... St. ... The Basilica of Saint Peter from Castel SantAngelo. ...

During the early Middle Ages the bridge of Nero fell into ruins, while the Mausoleum of Hadrian was converted to a stronghold (Castel Sant'Angelo), whose possession ensured the control of the city. Despite the wars and invasions which plagued Rome during those centuries, the flood of pilgrims to the tomb of the apostle never stopped. Pilgrims of the same nationality gathered together in associations named Scholae, whose task was to host and to aid men and women of the same nation coming to Rome. The most famous were those of the Franks, Saxons, Frisians and Lombards. Each Schola had its own hospice. One among the firsts – the schola Saxonum - was built during the VIII century by Ina, king of the Saxons. That hospice became the core of the future Hospital of Santo Spirito, one of the oldest and largest in Rome. The German pilgrims gave the zone around their Scholae the name Burg (fortified town), which, italianised, became the name of the quarter. Castel SantAngelo Castel SantAngelo from the bridge. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... The Saxons or Saxon people are part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German Federal States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and the northern part of North-Rhine-Westphalia. ... The Frisians are an ethnic group of northwestern Europe, inhabiting an area known as Frisia. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, from which the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... Ine (died 728) was the King of Wessex from 688 to 726, noted particularly for his code of laws. ...

Anyway, lying outside Aurelian's Walls, Borgo was always exposed to attacks. During the VIII and IX century the quarter – together with the basilica - was plundered several times by the Saracens who landed in Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber. After that, Pope Leo the Fourth defended Borgo with walls, which still bear his name. Since then, Borgo was not considered a part of Rome anymore, but a separate town, the Leonine City(Civitas Leonina). The leonine walls, which integrated an older wall, still exist between the Vatican and the Castle, and bear the name of Passetto. It constitutes a covered passage, which could by used – and actually has been used several times - by the Pope as escape path in case of danger. Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (September 9, 214–275), known in English as Aurelian, Roman Emperor (270–275), was the second of several highly successful soldier-emperors who helped the Roman Empire regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth. ... For the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi. ... Scale model of Portus, near Ostia The Temple of the goddess Roma on the Forum of Ostia. ... Leo IV, pope from 847 to 855, was a Roman by birth, and was unanimously chosen to succeed Sergius II. His pontificate was chiefly distinguished by his efforts to repair the damage done by the Saracens during the reign of his predecessor to various churches of the city, especially those... The Leonine City is that part of the city of Rome around which Pope Leo IV commissioned the construction of a wall for military defense during the 9th century. ... The Passetto, or Passetto di Borgo, is a secret passage that links the Vatican City with the Castle of Sant Angelo. ... The Pope (from Greek: pappas, father; from Latin: papa, Papa, father) is the head of the Catholic Church. ...

In the middle Ages the quarter was not much populated, with sparse houses, some churches and a lot of gardens. The pilgrims going to S. Peter and coming from the left bank could walk thru the Borgo of the Saxons (today's Borgo S. Spirito) or the Porticus, which was still in place. Those coming from Trastevere, used the Porta Settimiana (today's Porta S. Spirito). And finally the pilgrims coming from north, entered thru Porta S. Pellegrino. Trastevere (from trans Tiberim meaning over the Tiber) is a neighborhood in Rome on the west bank of the Tiber, south of the Vatican City. ...

Sources, References

• Borgatti, Mariano. Borgo e S. Pietro nel 1300 - 1600 - 1925. Federico Pustet, Roma.

Piazza Cavour, a square in the rione