Although the word vicolo means “alley”, the Vicolo della Moretta in the rione Regola in Rome appears to be more of a square than an actual street. It connects the Via Giulia to the Via di Monserrato.
A brief history of the Vicolo della Moretta in Rome
The Vicolo della Moretta probably owes its name to a 19th-century osteria or pharmacy sign. A moretta being a dark-haired woman, the street may also have been named for a, probably very good-looking, woman working in an osteria.
In those days, the vicolo still was an alley, but this changed in the 1930s. After a project by the architect Marcello Piacentini, who wanted to create a direct connection between the Piazza della Chiesa Nuova and the Janiculum Hill, the entire area was to be reorganized. This led to the destruction of several palaces on the Via Giulia, and also to the demolishment of a number houses between the Vicolo della Moretta and the Vicolo del Malpasso. Unfortunately, then World War II broke out, and all projects were halted. The area where the houses used to be was never built up again.
In 2025, in occasion of the Jubilee, the area was officially transformed into a square. Trees have been planted, the parking spaces have been regulated and the pavement has been “Romanized” by using the typical cobblestones.