Esquilino is the 15th ''

rione A (; plural: ) is a neighbourhood in several Italian cities. A is a territorial subdivision. The larger administrative subdivisions in Rome are the , with the being used only in the historic centre. The word derives from the Latin , the 14 su ...

'' of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, identified by the initials R. XV, and is Located within the

Municipio I Municipio I is an administrative subdivision of the municipality of Rome, encompassing the centre of the city. It was first created by Rome's city council on 19 January 2001 and has a president who is elected during the mayoral elections. On 11 ...

. It is named after the

Esquiline Hill The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

, one of the

Seven Hills of Rome The seven hills of Rome ( la, Septem colles/montes Romae, it, Sette colli di Roma ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city. Hills The seven hills are: * Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventi ...

. Its

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

bears two figures: a tree and three green mountains, all on a silver background. It is a very cosmopolitan neighbourhood, with large numbers of immigrants from Asia and North Africa.

History

Esquilino is part of the historic center of Rome, where urbanization developed in ancient times. Along with ''Palatina'', ''Collina'' and ''Suburana'', the area was one of the four ''regiones'' established by

Servius Tullius Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned from 578 to 535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome ...

: until Emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

adopted a new administrative subdivision of the city, the region included the whole area that is part of the modern ''rione'' Monti. The territory of the modern ''rione'' Esquilino, however, has always been regarded as the frontier of the inner city. Initially at the edge of the

Servian Wall The Servian Wall ( la, Murus Servii Tullii; it, Mura Serviane) was an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide ...

, whose '' agger'' was located in the area, during the Imperial age the borough was inserted inside the Aurelian Walls, though remaining marginal in the city context: indeed, according to a probable etymology, the name comes from the Latin word ''esquiliae'', meaning "suburb". Up until Augustan age, the area beyond the ''agger'' of the republican walls was a huge landfill, while another portion housed a cemetery for slaves and indigent people. Following to the urban reform pursued by Emperor Augustus, the polluted and pestilent areas were interred and the embankment of the ancient walls became a footway. In the area was also created a park, the

Gardens of Maecenas The Gardens of Maecenas, or ''Horti Maecenatis'', constituted the luxurious ancient Roman estate of Gaius Maecenas, an Augustan-era imperial advisor and patron of the arts. The property was among the first in Italy to emulate the style of Persian ...

, a complex of magnificent gardens which housed a tall tower where, according to

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

, Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

watched Rome burning. Until the late Imperial age, the borough became a favorite location of residential villas, called ''Horti''. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the area came into possession of several orders and convents seated near

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

. Starting from the 17th century, a number of aristocratic villas were built in the territory of the ''rione'', such as Villa Palombara, that used to house the famous

Porta Alchemica The Alchemical Door, also known as the Alchemy Gate or Magic Portal ( it, Porta Alchemica or ''Porta Magica''), is a monument built between 1678 and 1680 by Massimiliano Palombara, marquis of Pietraforte, in his residence, the , which was located ...

which currently stands out in the garden of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. A relevant part of the ancient remains has been dismantled after the residential development of the area, starting from 1870, with the construction of new buildings destined to the clerical middle class.

Geography

The ''rione'' is located in the eastern part of the center of Rome. It was established in 1921, detaching a portion of Monti.

Boundaries

Northward, Esquilino borders with

Castro Pretorio Castro Pretorio is the 18th ''rione'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials R. XVIII, and it is located within the Municipio I. The ''rione'' takes its name by the ruins of the '' Castrum Praetorium'', the barracks of the Praetorian Guard, ...

(R. XVIII), the boundary being outlined by Via

Gioberti Vincenzo Gioberti (; 5 April 180126 October 1852) was an Italian Catholic priest, philosopher, publicist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Sardinia from 1848 to 1849. He was a prominent spokesman for liberal Catholicism. Biog ...

, Via

Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the Prime Minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. After Benito Mussolini, he is the second-longest serving Prime Minister in Italian history. A pr ...

, Piazza dei Cinquecento, Viale

Enrico De Nicola Enrico De Nicola, (; 9 November 1877 – 1 October 1959) was an Italian jurist, journalist, politician, and provisional head of state of republican Italy from 1946 to 1948. Afterwards, he became the first president of Italy on 1 January 1948 ...

, Via

Marsala Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...

and Piazzale Sisto V. To the east, it borders with ''

quartieri A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...

Tiburtino Tiburtino is the 6th ''quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. VI. The name derives from the ancient road Via Tiburtina. It belongs to the Municipio II, Municipio IV and Municipio V. History Nomentano is among the first 15 q ...

(Q. XII) (from which is separated by the portion of the Aurelian Walls beside Via di

Porta Tiburtina Porta Tiburtina or Porta San Lorenzo is a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy, through which the Via Tiburtina exits the city. History The gate originally was an arch, built under Augustus, in the point in which three aqueducts (Aqua M ...

, located between Piazzale Sisto V and Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo) and Prenestino-Labicano (Q. VII), from which is separated by Piazzale Labicano (

Porta Maggiore The Porta Maggiore ("Larger Gate"), or Porta Prenestina, is one of the eastern gates in the ancient but well-preserved 3rd-century Aurelian Walls of Rome. Through the gate ran two ancient roads: the Via Praenestina and the Via Labicana. The Via ...

). Southward, the ''rione'' borders with ''

Quartiere A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...

Tuscolano Tuscolano is the 8th ''quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. VIII. The name derives from the ancient road Via Tuscolana. It belongs to the Municipio V and Municipio VII. History The origins of the territory - which, as f ...

(Q. VIII), whose boundary is marked by the portion of the Aurelian Walls between Piazzale Labicano and Piazzale Appio ( Porta San Giovanni). To the west, Esquilino borders with Monti (R. I): the boundary is marked by Piazza di Porta San Giovanni, Piazza di

San Giovanni in Laterano The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

Via Merulana Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwa ...

and Piazza di

Places of interest

Archaeological sites

Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker The tomb of Marcus Vergilius Eurysaces the baker is one of the largest and best-preserved freedman funerary monuments in Rome. Its sculpted frieze is a classic example of the "plebeian style" in Roman sculpture. Eurysaces built the tomb for hims ...

* Porta Maggiore Basilica * Ipogeo degli Aureli * Amphitheatrum Castrense *

Temple of Minerva Medica The temple of Minerva Medica (akin to the temple of Apollo Medicus) was a temple in ancient Rome, built on the Esquiline Hill in the Republican era, though no remains of it have been found. Since the 17th century, it has been wrongly identified ...

* Arch of Pope Sixtus V

Palaces and buildings

Roma Termini railway station Roma Termini (in Italian, ''Stazione Termini'') is the main railway station of Rome, Italy. It is named after the district of the same name, which in turn took its name from ancient Baths of Diocletian (in Latin, ''thermae''), which ...

, in Piazza dei Cinquecento. * Palazzo del Freddo Giovanni Fassi, in Via Principe Eugenio, an ice-cream parlour established in 1928 in a liberty building * Acquario Romano, in Piazza

Manfredo Fanti Manfredo Fanti (23 February 1806 – 5 April 1865) was an Italian general; he is known as the founder of the Regio Esercito. Biography Manfredo Fanti was born at Carpi (Emilia-Romagna) and educated at the military college of Modena. In 1831 he ...

* Palazzo della Zecca di Stato, in Via Principe Umberto, seat of the first national mint *

Villa Wolkonsky Villa Wolkonsky (in Italian, the word ''villa'' usually includes not only a large building but also its grounds) is the official residence of the British ambassador to Italy in Rome. The entrance to the villa is located at 4, Via Ludovico di Sav ...

, in Via Ludovico di Savoia

Churches

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, ( la, Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem) is a Catholic Minor basilica and titular church in rione Esquilino, Rome, Italy. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim ...

* Sant'Antonio da Padova all'Esquilino *

Sant'Eusebio Sant'Eusebio is a titular church in Rome, devoted to Saint Eusebius of Rome, a 4th-century martyr, and built in the Esquilino rione. One of the oldest churches in Rome, it is a titular church and the station church for the Friday after the fo ...

* Santi Vito e Modesto *

Santa Bibiana Santa Bibiana is a small Baroque style, Roman Catholic church in Rome devoted to Saint Bibiana. The church façade was designed and built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who also produced a sculpture of the saint holding the palm leaf of martyrs. Hist ...

Sant'Antonio Abate all'Esquilino Sant'Antonio abate all’Esquilino ('' Saint Anthony Abbot on the Esquiline'') is a church in Rome, located near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on via Carlo Alberto in the Esquilino district. History It was built in 1308 to serve an existin ...

* Sant'Alfonso all'Esquilino * Santa Maria del Buon Aiuto nell'Anfiteatro Castrense * Santa Margherita Maria Alacoque * Santa Maria Immacolata all'Esquilino * Chapel of Sant'Elena * Chapel of Santa Maria Addolorata all'Esquilino * Santissimo Crocifisso alla Stazione Termini

Other

Teatro Ambra Jovinelli The Teatro Ambra Jovinelli (literally "Ambra Jovinelli Theater"), formerly known just as Teatro Jovinelli, is a theatre located in Rome, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country ...

Note

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esquilino (Rione Of Rome) Rioni of Rome