The Rione Monti, literally meaning “Mountains” is the first rione of the city, and originally included the Quirinal, the Viminal Hills, the Caelian Hills and the Esquiline.
During the Middle Ages the Rione Monti was one of the two main districts in Rome: the other was Trastevere and they were in constant conflict to prevail over each other.
In modern times the area has been reduced and does not comprise the Quirinal and the Caelian Hills any longer.
What you can still find in the Rione Monti is a high number of monuments, churches and places of interest such as: the Colosseum, the baths of Trajan, the baths of Titus, part of the Forum Romanum, the Domus Aurea, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran and many others.
The area between Via Nazionale and Via cavour is the very heart of the district: where a number of small workshops in the XIX century style, as well as many trattorie and cafès cluster around Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, vastly frequented by locals and tourists.
