Ostia (quarter of Rome)
Encyclopedia
Ostia is a large neighbourhood in the XIII Municipio of the comune of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. Ostia (also called Ostia Lido or Lido di Roma or Lido di Ostia) is also the only municipio or district of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea and many Romans spend the summer holidays there. Sometimes it is confused with Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...

, an archaeological area, that is nearby. Ostia counts about 80,000 inhabitants.

Geography

The town is located on Tyrrhenian coast
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....

, close to Acilia
Acilia
Acilia is a district and a frazione of Rome, Italy, located about half- way between Rome and Ostia, along the Via Ostiense. With a population 66,932 in 2008 it is the second largest Italian frazione after Ostia.-History:...

 and separated to Fiumicino by the mouth of the Tiber River (Tevere).

History

The neighbourhood was founded in 1884, after the reclaiming of the nearby marshland (the pond of Ostia), which was infested by malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...

. The first inhabitants were peasants coming from Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...

, in Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...

. Thanks to the opening of the urban Roma-Ostia railway in 1924, the new village became soon the favourite sea resort of the Romans, while many Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 houses were built on the waterfront.

The new village was connected to central Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 through the new Via Ostiense, which was opened in 1907. During the Fascist
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...

 period, the government massively expanded the city, which got its ultimate architectural character thanks to many new buildings in Stile Littorio. New infrastructures, like a second road to Rome (the Via del Mare), the promenade, and a water airport were all built during this period.

After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, many bathing establishments were built on the sea side, and Ostia experienced a tourist boom. The new Cristoforo Colombo avenue connected Ostia with the EUR
Esposizione Universale Roma
EUR is a residential and business district in Rome, Italy, located south of the city center. The area was originally chosen in 1930s as the site for the 1942 world's fair which Benito Mussolini planned to open to celebrate twenty years of Fascism. EUR was also designed to direct the expansion of...

 district in Rome. However, the sea pollution which became apparent during the 70's, which lowered the popularity of Ostia as sea resort.

The building of the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino in 1956 made Ostia an attractive district for airport and airline workers.

Italian intellectual, film director and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...

 was assassinated near the water airport (water aerodrome) on 2nd of November, 1975.

In 1976 Ostia became part of the XIII Municipio of the Comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

 of Rome.

Nowadays, due to the expansion of the city, only the Park of Castelfusano separates Ostia from the other quarters of Rome.

Transportation

The regional Rome-Lido railway line, which carries over 90,000 passengers a day, connects Ostia to Rome providing up to 12 rides per hour during rush-hour. The full length of the line is 28.359 km. It has 13 stops, and the total trip is about 37 minutes long. The Roman terminal is at the Roma Porta San Paolo station
Roma Porta San Paolo railway station
Roma Porta San Paolo is a station in Rome, Italy, on the Rome-Lido railway line, with interchange to Piramide and Roma Ostiense stations...

, very close to the Piramide
Piramide (Rome Metro)
Piramide is a station on Line B of the Rome Metro. It was opened on 10 February 1955 and is sited on Piazzale Ostiense just outside Porta San Paolo, in the Ostiense quarter. Its atrium houses mosaics that have won the Artemetro Roma by Enrico Castellani and Beverly Pepper...

 stop (Rome Metro
Rome Metro
The Rome Metro is an underground public transportation system that operates in Rome, Italy and opened in 1955. There are currently two metro lines, the A line and the B line . A third line, the green C line, and a new branch of the B line, are currently under construction. Plans have also been...

, Line B
Line B (Rome Metro)
Line B is a metro line serving Rome, Italy, and part of the Rome Metro. Despite its name, Line B was the first line to be built in the city. It crosses Rome diagonally from north-east, starting at Rebibbia station, to south, terminating at Laurentina, in the EUR district. It crosses line A at...

) and not too far from the station of Roma Ostiense
Roma Ostiense railway station
Roma Ostiense is a train station in Piazza dei Partigiani serving the Ostiense district of Rome, Italy, a short distance from the Porta San Paolo. It is run by the Centostazioni arm of the Ferrovie dello Stato group and the urban rail lines FR1, FR3, and FR5 run through the station...

. Rail stops in Ostia are: Ostia Antica, Ostia Lido Nord, Ostia Lido Centro, Ostia Stella Polare, Ostia Castel Fusano and Ostia Cristoforo Colombo.

See also

  • Ostia Antica
    Ostia Antica
    Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...

  • Ostia Antica (district)
    Ostia Antica (district)
    thumb|300px|The Castle of Julius II in Ostia Antica.thumb|300px|The square of Ostia Antica, with the church of Santa Aurea on the right.Ostia Antica is a district in the commune of Rome, Italy, five kilometers away from the coast. It is distinct from Ostia.- History :Under the Romans, Ostia Antica...

  • Via Ostiensis
    Via Ostiensis
    The Via Ostiensis was an important road in ancient Rome. It ran west 30 km from the city of Rome to its important sea port of Ostia Antica, from which it took its name. The road began near the Forum Boarium, ran between the Aventine and the Tiber River along its left bank, and left the...

  • Acilia
    Acilia
    Acilia is a district and a frazione of Rome, Italy, located about half- way between Rome and Ostia, along the Via Ostiense. With a population 66,932 in 2008 it is the second largest Italian frazione after Ostia.-History:...


  • Municipio XIII
    Municipio XIII
    Municipio XIIICountry:Municipality: RomeArea:150.64 km²Population:200,114pop. density:1,328 km²President:Giacomo Vizzani Website:Map...

  • Rome–Lido railway
  • Ostia Lido Centro railway station
  • A.S. Ostia Mare 1945


External links

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