Originally named Via Recta, this street was created by a radical redesign of this medieval quarter by Pope Sixtus IV. The idea was to create a through road to Ponte Sant'Angelo and then further on, to St. Peter's. Because the road was subsequently thronged with pilgrims, it was lined with stands and shops selling sacred souvenirs and rosary beads;

rosary beads used to be called crowns of beads and hence the name of the street became Via dei Coronari. The fascinating medieval feel is still alive today, though the old souvenir shops have given way to antique and craft boutiques. About half way towards Ponte Sant'Angelo, on the left, you can see the wall of the Palazzo Taverna, part of a building complex named Monte Giordano after the hill on which it sits. The palace was later bought by the Milanese family Taverna in the 19th century, thus changing its name.
Monte Giordano is a small fortified and turreted citadel, composed of five buildings altogether. The small artificial peak on which it was built was formed by the ruins of some preceding, unknown buildings and subsequently named Monte Giordano.
The hill's name comes from Giordano Orsini who, in 1430, built this palace as a symbol of his family's power and influence. After repeated conflicts with Cesare Borgia and Pope Alexander VI, the family lost its political power. Facing economic ruin in the 18th century, they were forced to sell off most of their possessions.