The 9th rione of Rome is called Pigna. The word means pine-apple and the name originates from an enormous statue in the shape of a pine-apple which was found in the area. Being one of the most central districts, it has a huge number of tourist attractions, including the Pantheon.
Pigna District Rome (rione XIX)
History and description
Nowadays this sculpture can be found in the Cortile della Pigna in the Vatican. Later Pietro Lombardi was commissioned by the city of Rome to build a small fountain shaped like a pine-apple in front of the Basilica di San Marco. As a result, the Basilica was briefly called “della Pigna e di San Marco”.
When Rome was first divided into quarters Pigna was part of what then was the Campo Marzio. Nowadays it is bordered by the Pantheon, Largo di Torre Argentina, Via delle Botteghe Oscure and Piazza Venezia.
Tourist attractions
Being right in the center of Rome, the area is of course rich in monuments and other attractions: The Pantheon and Piazza della Minerva, Piazza Venezia, Piazza della Rotonda and Largo di Torre Argentina, parts of the Via del Corso and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Palazzo Doria Pamphili and the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church: a good days’ work for the average tourist.