Ostiense


Ostiense is the 10th quartiere of Rome, identified by the initials Q. X.
The toponym comes from the original name of the Porta San Paolo, a gate in the city walls of Rome, was Porta Ostiensis, because it was located at the beginning of Via Ostiense. It now houses the Via Ostiense Museum.

History

In the late 9th century, a fortified settlement developed around the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls: the village took the name of Giovannipoli after Pope John VIII, who built it for defense purposes after a Saracen raid.
Ostiense is amongst the first 15 quartieri that sprung in 1911 and were officially established in 1921. It began to sprawl in 1907, after the mayor Ernesto Nathan promoted the creation of an industrial area at the beginning of the Via Ostiense; then, after the 1909 town plan was approved, a fluvial harbour, the Mercati Generali, a prominent gasometer and the Centrale Montemartini were built.
The landmarks in the quarter include the Centrale Montemartini and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
Other landmarks include the Roma Ostiense railway station and most of the University of Rome III campus.
The railway station is home to the Italian railway company Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori. It is the city's main hub and home to Italian food market chain Eataly, world's biggest store.

Geography

The quartiere is positioned in the south metropolitan area of Rome, close to the left bank of the Tiber.
It comprises the area near the Via Ostiense from the Porta San Paolo to the Magliana Viaduct. The neighborhood of Garbatella is comprised within its official borders.
The territory of the quarter includes the urban zone 11A Ostiense of the Municipio VIII.

Boundaries

The quartiere borders, to the north, with Rione Testaccio, from which is separated by the stretch of the Aurelian Walls between the river Tiber and Porta San Paolo, and with Rione San Saba, from which is separated by the stretch of the Aurelian Walls between the said Porta San Paolo and Porta Ardeatina.
Eastward, the quartiere shares a border with Quartiere Ardeatino, whose boundary is outlined by a portion of Via Cristoforo Colombo, between Via di Porta Ardeatina and Via Laurentina, and by a stretch of Via Laurentina itself, between Via Cristoforo Colombo and Via delle Tre Fontane.
Southward, Ostiense borders with Quartiere Europa, from which is separated by Via delle Tre Fontane and by the Magliana Viaduct.
To the west, Ostiense borders with Quartiere Portuense, the border being marked by the stretch of the Tiber between the Magliana Viaduct and Ponte dell'Industria.

Local geography

The main roads and squares of Quartiere Ostiense are:
The squares and the roads of the quartiere are chiefly named after explorers and missionaries. Local toponyms can be categorized as follows:

Churches