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The current Via di Monserrato and its parallel, Via Giulia, were the heart of the medieval Region of Arenula. Via di Monserrato, in particular, even carried the name: Strada Arenula. The name, which later extended to the entire district, derived from the frequent floods of the Tiber River that, upon receding, would leave a thick layer of sand (rena) on the streets. In the inner courtyard of Palazzo Podocataro, among many important Roman inscriptions, there is a more modest 19th-century one that marks the water level reached by the devastating flood of 1870. The sand left by the floods was collected by servants, who used it to clean the copper pots in the grand kitchens of noble households.