Italy · Lazio · Rome
Celio, Rome — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Marked out in 1921, Celio is the nineteenth rione of Rome, wrapped around the Caelian Hill and reaching Porta San Giovanni.
About Celio
Where to stay in Celio
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Porta San Giovanni marks one edge of the rione, and rooms gather along the approaches to it rather than up on the quieter slope where the Basilica of Saints John and Paul stands. The slope is the calmer choice. Sancta Sanctorum and the chiesa di San Salvatore alla Scala Santa draw steady daytime crowds.
A base here works for you if walking to Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano and San Tommaso in Formis matters more than a short hop to the centre.
About Celio
What are the main landmarks in Celio?
The rione keeps two layers. Roman ground shows through in the Basilica Hilariana, the Domus Valeriorum, the Vicus Capitis Africae, the Porta Caelimontana e Porta Querquetulana and the Praetorian Guard Barracks at Amba Aradam Metro Station. Christian building covers the rest, from the Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill to Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano, San Tommaso in Formis and Santa Maria delle Lauretane.
The Sancta Sanctorum sits among them. Porta San Giovanni marks the outer edge, and the Triclinium Leoninum and the chiesa di San Salvatore alla Scala Santa are recorded within the same rione.
What is the history of Celio?
Celio falls inside Municipio I and was drawn as the nineteenth rione in 1921, far later than the medieval divisions of Rome. The ground under it is ancient. The Domus Valeriorum, the Basilica Hilariana and the Vicus Capitis Africae were already there, and the Porta Caelimontana e Porta Querquetulana are recorded among the gates that once pierced the rione's edge.
Church building followed, leaving the Triclinium Leoninum and the Sancta Sanctorum among the older survivals.
Where is Celio?
Celio is the nineteenth rione of Rome, inside Municipio I, laid over the Caelian Hill. Porta San Giovanni marks one edge.
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Updated September 2026