History and description

After the fall of the Roman Empire, and the subsequent decline in the city’s fortunes, the area around the Tridente had fallen into disrepair. Only centuries later, when Pope Sixtus V had come to power, new investments were made into the area’s infrastructure. The main reason was that the Pope wanted to expand his own property, the Villa Montalto, then the largest villa in Rome. (The Villa Montalto was later razed to the ground when the Termini train station was built.)

The central one of the three streets is also the city’s main shopping street, the Via del Corso, which runs all the way to the Piazza Venezia.

The street on the left is the Via del Babuino, a narrower street with many art galleries. This street is named “Baboon Street” after the Fontana del Babuino, a fountain adorned with a rather ugly-looking statue.

The Via Ripetta is the rightmost of the three streets and runs all the way to the river.

These three main streets are crossed by a large number of narrow, mostly pedestrian, picturesque alleys, with more trendy and upscale stores and restaurants.

The streets are separated at the beginning by two almost twin churches. Almost, because at first glance they appear exactly alike, but as you take a more careful look, you will notice several diffences.

The church on the left is the Santa Maria in Montesanto Basilica. It is slightly smaller than its neighbor and has an oval dome.

The dome of the slightly larger Santa Maria dei Miracoli Church is round.

Shopping hours in the Tridente district

Most of the shops and boutiques in the area follow the normal shopping hours, from around 10:00 until 20:00. Some might close for a siesta between 13:00 and 16:00.

Campo Marzio district Rome