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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

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Rione VII Regola

Rione Regola was named after "regola" a word derived from "arenula" (sand) with reference to a beach located near Ponte Sisto. It borders to the west on Ponte, to the north on Parione and Sant'Eustachio, to the east on Sant'Angelo and to the south on the Tiber.
For a map of the Roman quarters (Rioni) click here.

Coat of arms
Coat of arms of Rione Regola

The symbol of Rione Regola is a rampant golden hind. According to a legend, after a flood, a golden head of a hind was found on the beach of Regola.
Rione Regola is mainly a Renaissance quarter with very few signs of Ancient Rome. However the long street which crosses the whole rione from NW to SE follows an ancient Roman street and the straight street leading to Ponte Sisto does the same. It became a very densely populated area during the Middle Ages due to its proximity to the river which at the time was the only source of water. Most of the streets are still named after the artisans who had their workshops there. Regola was a sort of industrial district of Rome: Via dei Cappellari (hatters), Chiodaroli (nail-makers), Pettinari (comb-makers), Baullari (case-makers), Giubbonari (dress-makers), Vaccinari (fur-makers), Calderari (coppersmiths), indicate just some of the activities which were performed in Regola.
The rebuilding by Pope Sixtus IV in 1475 of Pons Aurelius, called after him Ponte Sisto and a few years later the opening by Pope Julius II, nephew of Sixtus IV, of a straight street linking Ponte Sisto with Ponte S. Angelo, changed in part the nature of Regola. Via Giulia, named after the pope, became the most important street of Renaissance Rome and Pope Paul III Farnese built across the street his palace and his garden. Regola did not have large churches, the majority of them being churches belonging to a guild.

Coat of arms
Entrance of Palazzetto Spada, near Palazzo Spada, entrance of a house near S. Paolo alla Regola,
relief by Pietro Bracci near Palazzo Farnese

In addition to the monuments shown in the pages listed below, Regola has many other memories of the Renaissance and of the Baroque and Late Baroque periods as the images above show.

Rione Regola
1777 Map of Rione Regola

Legend of the numbers in the map:
1) Main courtyard of Palazzo Farnese
2) Second courtyard of Palazzo Farnese
8) S. Caterina della Ruota
16) S. Niccolò degli Incoronati
23) Collegio Ecclesiastico a Ponte Sisto
24) S. Trinità dei Pellegrini
26) S. Martino ai Pelamantelli
30) Santi Vincenzo ed Anastasio alla Regola
31) S. Maria in Monticelli
33) Palazzetto Cenci
34) Palazzo Cenci
37) Palazzo Santacroce
38) S. Salvatore in Campo

Rione Regola Santa Lucia del Gonfalone Carceri Nuove San Niccolò degli Incoronati San Filippo Neri Spirito Santo dei Napoletani Sant'Eligio degli Orefici Arco di Strada Giulia Palazzo Montoro Albergo della Vacca Casa di Pietro Paolo della Zecca Palazzo Ricci San Giovanni in Ayno Santa Maria in Monserrato Santa Caterina della Ruota San Tomaso di Canterbury Palazzo Mastrozzi San Girolamo della Carità Retro di Palazzo Farnese Palazzo Falconieri Palazzo Farnese Santa Brigida Palazzo Pichini Palazzo Mandosi Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte Palazzo Teutonico Santi Giovanni e Petronio dei Bolognesi San Paolo alla Regola Palazzo Spada Santa Maria dei Macellari Palazzo Ossoli Trinità dei Pellegrini San Salvatore in Onda Monte di Pietà Palazzo di Urbano VIII San Martino ai Pelamantelli San Salvatore in Campo Santa Caterina da Siena in Via Giulia Collegio Ecclesiastico Santa Maria in Monticelli Palazzo Paniza Palazzo Santacroce alla Regola Casa di Alessandro Lancia Santi Vincenzo ed Anastasio alla Regola San Bartolomeo dei Vaccinari Santa Maria del Pianto Santa Maria in Cacaberis Palazzo Cenci Palazzetto Cenci San Tomaso ai Cenci
Main monuments of Rione Regola

The red X mark the main changes which occurred after 1777:
a) line linking several X along the river: in the 1880s huge walls were erected along the Tiber: this effort included a redesign of the river front which required the pulling down of some minor churches and the shortening of Collegio Ecclesiastico a Ponte Sisto;
b) line linking two X: the opening of a large road (Via Arenula) cut Regola into two parts, thus isolating of the part of Regola next to Rione Sant'Angelo;
c) top of the map: a partially aborted attempt to open a modern road across Via Giulia interrupted the series of Renaissance buildings along the street;
d) X next to the church painted in red: most of Ospizio dei Pellegrini was pulled down and replaced by modern buildings.

The different colours group the monuments which are shown in the same page.

Name(key)ColourNotes
Chiesa di Santa Lucia del GonfaloneWith monuments of Ponte.
Palazzo delle Carceri Nuove-
Chiesa di San Niccolò degli IncoronatiLost
Chiesa di San Filippo NeriDeconsecrated
Chiesa dello Spirito Santo dei Napoletani-
Chiesa di Sant'Eligio degli Orefici-
-Arco di Strada Giulia-
Casa di Pietro Paolo della Zecca-
Palazzo Ricci-
Chiesa di San Giovanni in AynoDeconsecrated
Chiesa di Santa Maria in Monserrato-
Chiesa di Santa Caterina della Ruota-
Chiesa di San Tomaso di Canterbury-
Palazzo Mastrozzi-
Chiesa di San Girolamo della Carità-
Palazzo MontoroWith monuments of Parione.
-Albergo della VaccaWith monuments of Parione.
Palazzo Falconieri-
Retro di Palazzo Farnese-
Palazzo Farnese-
Chiesa di Santa Brigida-
Palazzo Pichini (o Roccagiovine)-
Palazzo Mandosi-
Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte-
Palazzo Teutonico-
Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Petronio dei Bolognesi-
Chiesa di San Paolo alla Regola-
Palazzo Spada-
Palazzo Ossoli-
Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Macellari (o della Quercia)-
Palazzo del Monte di Pietà-
Palazzo di Urbano VIII-
Chiesa di San Martino ai PelamantelliLost
Chiesa di San Salvatore in Campo-
Chiesa della Trinità dei Pellegrini-
Chiesa di San Salvatore in Onda-
Chiesa di Santa Caterina da Siena in Via Giulia-
Palazzo del Collegio Ecclesiastico a Ponte Sisto-
Chiesa di Santa Maria in Monticelli-
Palazzo Paniza-
Palazzo Santacroce alla Regola-
Casa di Alessandro LanciaWith mon. of S. Eustachio.
Chiesa di Santa Maria del PiantoWith monuments of S. Angelo.
Chiesa di Santa Maria in CacaberisLost
Chiesa di San Tomaso ai Cenci-
Palazzetto Cenci-
Palazzo Cenci-
Chiesa dei Santi Vincenzo ed Anastasio alla RegolaLost
Chiesa di San Bartolomeo dei VaccinariLost

You can start your tour of Rione Regola from S. Lucia del Gonfalone.
You can also have a look at it from the Janiculum: S. Eligio degli Orefici, Palazzo Farnese and Ponte Sisto.

I - MontiII - Trevi
III - ColonnaIV - Campo Marzio
V - PonteVI - Parione
VII - RegolaVIII - Sant'Eustachio
IX - PignaX - Campitelli
XI - Sant'AngeloXII - Ripa
XIII - TrastevereXIV - Borgo