Located in the center of Campus Martius, a publicly owned area in Ancient Rome during the Middle Ages, Pigna is a rione suitable for tourists. From any hour of the day, the chances of coming across a tourist are more likely than finding a resident of the area. Pigna is one of the smallest districts of Rome. The size of the Rione can be deceiving, although small it is symbol of many centuries of history. Easily and readily accessible from the UW Rome Center, I found myself frequently visiting Rome’s ninth district for its lively tourist attractions, delicious gelato and active night life.
Basic Information. The name ‘pigna’ is Italian for pine cone. The rione was named after a vast bronze statue of a pigna that was used as an adornment for a fountain near the Temple of Isis. The bronze pigna was relocated two times before its final destination in the Cortile della Pigna, where it connects the Vatican to the Palazzo del Belvedere. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigna_(rione_of_Rome)).
Pigna is confined between the Riones of Sant’Eustachio (that provides the western border), Colonna (the northern border), Trevi (eastern border) and Sant’Angelo (the southern border). The shape of the Pigna Rione is of a square. Each corner of the district is marked by either a landmark or popular tourist attraction. A walk around the perimeter makes for a delightful stroll, as was the route that my partner and I decided to take for our Rione presentation. We focused on four areas of the Pigna Rione, each respectively a corner of the district. The areas include the Pantheon, Piazza de San Ignazio, Piazza Venezia, and La Area Sacra di Largo Argentina. Each will be discussed in order throughout my essay.
The Pantheon. A Roman temple built in 126 AD, the Pantheon continues to be one of Rome’s popular sites. Characterized by its Corinthian columns and elaborate rotunda floor that is decorated with an intricate design of circles and squares, the main attraction of this Roman temple is an eye-gawking oculus, or central opening in the center of one of the largest concrete domes in history. The oculus is 43.3 meters in diameter and makes for a splendid sight at times of rainfall, where depending on the intensity of the rain, a mist of water can be seen sprinkling down in the middle of the rotunda (as the group had the chance to witness during the Rione presentation). One of the best preserved buildings in Rome, the Pantheon was said to be commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a “temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome” and later rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian. An interesting fact about the Pantheon is that the concrete dome was made without machinery, that is, concrete was poured into molds to make the coffers that identify the Pantheon Dome by humans! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome
Piazza Di San Ignazio (betwen Via del Corso and the Pantheon). The next stop is Piazza di San Ignazio which is distinguished by two towers and a church that takes the same name as its piazza. The architect of the towers is an Italian by the name of Filippo Raguzinni, who was one of Pope Benedict XIII’s favored planners. The two towers were constructed with the vision of resembling a stage theater. The church of San Ignazio was built over another church in 1685. This was done in an effort to provide more space to the growing number of students who were attending the Roman College. The façade of the church which was designed by Allessandro Algari, as startling as it is, does not prepare the visitor for what they are about to see in the interior of the church. The Baroque style of the decorations, the paintings by Father Andrea Pozzo and the optical illusion of a dome on top of the main altar make for the visit to the Church of San Ignazio a memorable one. http://www.ultimateitaly.com/piazzas-italy/piazza-di-san-ignazio.html
Piazza Venezia (at the end of Via del Corso). Easily identifiable by the dense and chaotic traffic that seems to remain in this area, Piazza Venezia is located at the heart of Rome. A white monument named Il Vittoriano, after King Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy was completed in 1935 . Because of its immense size it has been criticized for its incompatibility with the architecture surrounding it. The middle of the Piazza is currently under excavation. In 2009, during the construction of the Rome Metro C Line, the Athenauem was discovered. The Athenaeum, a school of literacy and scientific studies was established by Emperor Hadrian who made it a place “of intellectual refinement.” Although I passed Piazza Venezia about three times a week, I never would have guessed that the construction being conducted in the middle was due to an archeological discovery.
L’ Area Sacra Di Largo Argentina. The final stop of the presentation. Formerly known as the Cat Sanctuary, Largo Argentina is the closest corner to the UW Rome Center. It is ironic how although it was the last area of our presentation, it was one of the first ancient ruins that the class had seen upon their arrival to Rome. Popularly known as the site where Julius Ceasar was assassinated, L’Area Sacra, quarters the remains of the Theater of Pompey as well as four temple ruins that embodied the sacred buildings of the middle and late Republican period. The name Argentina, has nothing to do with the country. John Burkard, the master of ceremonies for Pope Alexander VI, named the area after his hometown of Argentoratum, which is now called Strasburg.
My visits to the Pigna Rione have each varied. The first visit was solely academic, where Margherat led the excursion to the Pantheon and the Church of Maria Sopra Minerva. The second and third time were for personal entertainment and exploration. And the last time was when returning from the last Rione presentation conducted in Trevi. Although each visit was with a different purpose the emotions that the Pantheon and each site bring are that of a tourist who realizes over and over again that they are in a foreign country. Unlike Trastevere, another Rione, where a sense of belonging and a feel for home can exist, the Pigna Rione is strictly commercial and tourist. Forever enjoyed by the thousands of tourists that visit. It is difficult to see the Pantheon as once being on the outskirts of Rome. I guess the popular phrase of “Rome wasn’t built in a day” holds true. It will take a lifetime to unravel the many layers of history that the eternal city of Rome has. I’m glad to have peeled back at least one. J
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