Administrative subdivisions of Rome

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Administrative subdivisions of Rome

Rome is divided into 15 municipi (municipalities), the city’s first-level administrative districts. Each municipio has a president and a municipal council elected directly by residents every five years. The 15 municipi together make up the Comune di Roma, which is part of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital.

History of subdivisions
- 1966: The city was divided into 12 circoscrizioni (districts) for administration.
- 1972: The districts increased to 20.
- 1992: After Circoscrizione XIV became the independent comune of Fiumicino, the number fell to 19.
- 2001: Circoscrizioni were renamed municipi, and presidents began to be elected directly.
- 2013: Rome City Council merged several municipi, reducing the number to 15 and changing their numbering.

Other subdivisions and planning
- The comune contains 155 urban zones (zone urbanistiche), created in 1977 for planning and statistical purposes. Each zone has a code based on the letter of the municipio and the zone’s number, a scheme that remained even after the 2013 municipio merge.
- There are 116 non-administrative units called comprensori toponomastici (toponymic districts), grouped into four sets.

Rioni, quartieri, and suburbia
- Rioni are historic districts that began as ancient Rome’s Regiones and evolved through the medieval, Renaissance, and later periods. Their boundaries were fixed in the 18th century. A 15th rione, Esquilino, was added in 1874; more rioni appeared in the early 20th century.
- In modern times, the term quartiere was used for new subdivisions. Today all the rioni are contained in the First Municipio, which corresponds to Rome’s historic center (Centro Storico).
- There are six suburbs (suburbi) with discontinuous numbering due to changes over time in how the city expanded.