This rione, during the
Roman Republic belonged to the third region, while during the
Roman Empire was split up into two
regions: the VI, called
Alta Semita and the VII, called
via Lata. During the ancient Roman period, in rione Trevi there were large groups of private houses with some monumental buildings. Since that time the area was actually split up into two parts: a lower one, level and next to the river
Tiber, and a higher one on the hills. The first one was one of the center of the activities of the city, while the second one was a rich and peaceful residential area. After the fall of the
Roman Empire, a lot of people moved away from the hills to settle next to the river, in the lower part. The urbanization followed the people: next to the river
Tiber the rione was full of buildings while almost nothing was built again on the hills until the
Renaissance. In 1600 urbanization, new streets, churches and fountains caused the rione Trevi to be quite crowded, and it did not change significantly until the end of the 19th century. The
Quirinal Hill, partially isolated from the crowded part close to the river, was slowly becoming a center of power thanks to numerous buildings belonging to the Pope. Under the domination of
Napoleon, in 1811, the
Quirinal Hill was selected to be the center of the imperial power in
Rome. The plan was not completed because of the fall of Napoleon, but the idea remained and was partially achieved after Rome became capital of Italy, after the 1870. In fact nowadays several ministries are placed in the rione Trevi. This changed completely the appearance of the higher part of the rione, that was not very crowded but full of small streets, churches and monumental buildings. The most famous monument in the rione is
Trevi Fountain. ==Geography==