Municipio Roma III is the third
administrative subdivision
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
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 ...
(Italy).
It was established by the Capitoline Assembly, with Resolution No. 11 of 11 March 2013, which replaced the previous Municipio Roma IV (formerly "Circoscrizione IV").
Geography
Municipio III is in the north of the city and is the sixth largest, with 97.818 km
2.
To the south, it borders
Municipio II
Municipio II is an administrative subdivision of the city of Rome.
It was first created by Rome's City Council on 19 January 2001 and it has a President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), ...
and
Municipio IV
Municipio IV (or Municipality 4) is one of the 15 administrative subdivisions of the city of Rome in Italy. It is located in the northeastern part of the capital.
The Rebibbia
Rebibbia is an urban zone of Rome, Italy. It was located on the ro ...
, to the west
Municipio XV
Municipio XV (or Municipality 15) is one of the 15 administrative subdivisions of the city of Rome in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located i ...
, along the river
Tiber
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
, and the ''
comuni
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' of
Riano,
Monterotondo
Monterotondo is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy.
History
According to some historians, Monterotondo is the heir of the ancient Sabine town of Eretum, although the modern settlement appeared in the 10th-11th ce ...
,
Mentana
Mentana is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It is located north-east of Rome and has a population of about 23,000.
History
Mentana's name in ...
and
Fonte Nuova to the north-east.
The territory is mainly hilly; the southern area comprising the main urban aggregates is contrasted by the northern area, characterized by a rural environment, mostly included in the
Marcigliana nature reserve.
Lapped to the west by the Tiber, the Municipio is also crossed by its tributary the
Aniene
The Aniene (; la, Aniō), formerly known as the Teverone, is a river in Lazio, Italy. It originates in the Apennines at Trevi nel Lazio and flows westward past Subiaco, Vicovaro, and Tivoli to join the Tiber in northern Rome. It formed the pr ...
, the second river of the capital, which runs alongside the areas of
Monte Sacro
__NoToC__
The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons").
Geography
The Mons Sacer i ...
,
Sacco Pastore
Sacco may refer to:
* Sacco (clothing) (also Sakko), a type of jacket
* Sacco (river), a river of central Italy
* Sacco, Campania, a comune (municipality) in southern Italy
* Sacco chair, by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro
* Ospedale ...
and
Conca d'Oro.
Urban areas
Within the Municipio there are the urban areas of Cinquina, Porta di Roma, Vigne Nuove and the extra-urban area of Sant'Alessandro.
Historical subdivisions
The following toponymy areas of Rome are located within the Municipio:
;Quarters
* Q. XVI
Monte Sacro
__NoToC__
The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons").
Geography
The Mons Sacer i ...
and Q. XXVIII
Monte Sacro Alto
;Zones
* Z. I
Val Melaina, Z. II
Castel Giubileo, Z. III
Marcigliana, Z. IV
Casal Boccone
Metalurgia Casal was the largest Portuguese motorcycle manufacturer, based in Aveiro. It was founded in 1964 with João Casal as the managing director and Robert Zipprich and other ex-Zundapp engineers as the technical managers. Its first p ...
and Z. V
Tor San Giovanni
Administrative subdivisions
The urban distribution of the territory includes the thirteen urban areas of the former Municipio Roma IV. Its population is distributed as follows.:
Frazioni
The following ''
frazioni
A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...
'' of Rome lies within the area of the Municipio:
*
Colle Salario, Settebagni, Villa Spada
Infrastructure and transport
Railways
The Municipio is currently connected by various urban bus lines, as well as by the Line B1 of the
Rome Metro, a branch of
Line B, which started its service on 13 June 2012, whose terminus is the station
Jonio.
Streets
The Municipio III is crossed by three of the most important arteries of the capital:
* to the north, the
Grande Raccordo Anulare, which crosses it from west to east for about 8 km, between the
Ponte di Castel Giubileo and
Via Nomentana; in particular, the exits "Castel Giubileo", "Salaria", "Via di Settebagni – Bel Poggio – Fidene", the "Diramazione Roma Nord" of the
Autostrada A1 and "Via della Bufalotta – Via delle Vigne Nuove" are within the Municipio.
* to the west,
Via Salaria
The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy.
It eventually ran from Rome (from Porta Salaria of the Aurelian Walls) to ''Castrum Truentinum'' (Porto d'Ascoli) on the Adriatic coast, a distance of 242 km. The road also passed throug ...
runs parallel to the railway, crossing the Municipio from south to north, starting from
Ponte Salario (on the river Aniene) up to Monterotondo Scalo, and touching Settebagni and the
Urbe Airport.
* to the east, the Via Nomentana crosses Monte Sacro and Monte Sacro Alto, before reaching Fonte Nuova,
Mentana
Mentana is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It is located north-east of Rome and has a population of about 23,000.
History
Mentana's name in ...
and
Monterotondo
Monterotondo is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy.
History
According to some historians, Monterotondo is the heir of the ancient Sabine town of Eretum, although the modern settlement appeared in the 10th-11th ce ...
.
History
![National Museum of Natural History (8587341141)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/National_Museum_of_Natural_History_%288587341141%29.jpg)
The history of the Municipio Roma III concerns the territory of the northern area of Rome, between the Tiber and the Aniene, delimited by three major road axes: the Via Salaria to the west, the Via Nomentana to the south-east and, in much more recent times, the Grande Raccordo Anulare to the north.
The first evidence of the presence of man in the aforementioned territory dates back to 700,000 years ago; in the antiquity there was a great demographic development with the constitution of several cities in the area, roughly in the years of the
founding of Rome, such as
Crustumerium
Crustumerium (or Crustumium) was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber.
In the legends concerning Rome's early history, the Crustumini were amongst the peoples whic ...
, inhabited by the Crustumini, and
Fidenae.
In the
imperial age, on the contrary, there was a depopulation due to the proliferation of ''
villae'' in the territory; the same phenomenon occurred in 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 ...
with the ''casali'' (farmhouses).
It is in the 20th century that the area reached a great and rapid urban development, with the birth of the
garden city of Monte Sacro and then, in the second post-war period, of many other neighborhoods.
Geology and prehistory
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the territory was subject to volcanic phenomena, caused by the
Monti Sabatini
The Monti Sabatini is a geologic region in Lazio, central Italy, a remnant of intense volcanism which started ca. 600,000 years ago, mainly with pyroclastic and maar forming eruptions which continued until 100,000 years ago. The mount ...
and the
Alban volcanoes.
In
prehistory
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
the territory was already inhabited. In the area called Bufalotta, remains of human fossils dating back to 700,000 years ago have been found; other remains dating back to 200,000 years ago have been found in a place called Monte delle Gioie (in the quarter of Serpentara) and in Sacco Pastore (where today there is Via Val di Nievole). The latter are more recent findings, dating back to about 100,000 years ago,
[Storia del IV Municipio](_blank)
were discovered between 1929 and 1935: a
Neanderthal
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...
ian skull was found for the first time in Italy near Sacco Pastore by the paleoanthropologists Alberto Carlo Blanc and
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil (28 February 1877 – 14 August 1961), often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist. He is noted for his studies of cave art in the Somme a ...
. The
Man of Saccopastore takes his name from these discoveries.
From the ancient settlements to republican Rome
![Aqua aniovetus planlatium 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Aqua_aniovetus_planlatium_2.png)
The most important ancient settlements in the territory were undoubtedly Custrumerium and Fidenae. The first one is also mentioned by
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
in the ''
Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...
'' and was conquered by
Romulus
Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...
, while the date of conquest of the second one is uncertain.
It is known that, when Rome was founded in 753 BC, Fidenae was a medium-large center that exploited the transport and communication routes both by river and land. For this reason, the Romans always tried to isolate it (especially from
Veii
Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...
) and to conquer it.
According to traditional accounts, the conquest took place under the reign of Romulus, through the so-called battle of Fidenae.
A more accredited hypothesis traces the conquest back to 474 BC when – though the Fidenates tried to contrast the Romans through an alliance with the
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
**Etruscan ...
city of Veii – the city was occupied by a Roman garrison to conquer it. The Romans sacked it and then set it on fire between 436 BC and 435 BC: the city then became a ''
municipium
In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privi ...
'' of Rome and a part of the inhabitants was enslaved.
To rebuild a part of the edifices burned by the
Gallic fire, Rome drew a large quantity of blocks of
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...
from the quarries near Fidenae. Thanks to the fall of Fidenae, the Romans gained a good position in the fight against Veii. In the late
Republican age, according to
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
, Fidenae, like
Gabii and
Labicum, was often taken as an example of a city subdued and reduced to a village.
Nowadays, as a testimony to the millennial history of the Municipio, it is possible to visit the
protohistoric house of Fidenae, a full-scale reconstruction, made with ancient building techniques, of a house dating back to the end of the 9th century BC, which has been found almost intact.
The secession of the plebs on Monte Sacro
![Secessio plebis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Secessio_plebis.JPG)
The area of Monte Sacro takes its name from the hill of the same name, which is famous for a great revolt of the plebs that took place in 496 BC: the plebeians took refuge on the hill, in what, for many, was the first strike in history.
The revolt was quelled by Senator
Menenius Agrippa
Agrippa Menenius Lanatus (died 493 BC) was a consul of the Roman Republic in 503 BC, with Publius Postumius Tubertus. He was victorious over the Sabines and was awarded a triumph which he celebrated on 4 April, 503 BC. According to Livy, he als ...
with the famous apologue pronounced in 503 BC: Agrippa (as
Aesop did) metaphorically compared the Roman social classes to a human body. Thanks to this convincing speech, the situation was brought back to order and the plebeians returned to their duties. However the plebs, having retired and ceased to make its contribution to public life, obtained the establishment of the
Tribunes of the plebs and of the
Aediles of the plebs, as well as the creation of its own assembly, the ''
concilium plebis
The ''Concilium Plebis'' (English: Plebeian Council., Plebeian Assembly, People's Assembly or Council of the Plebs) was the principal assembly of the common people of the ancient Roman Republic. It functioned as a legislative/judicial assembly, ...
'', which elected the Tribunes and the Aediles.
To commemorate the event and the agreements made, an altar dedicated to Jupiter ''Terrificus'' was erected on the hill: for this reason it became "sacred".
The imperial age
The ''villae''
![Schema Villa Rustica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Schema_Villa_Rustica.jpg)
The area, during the
Imperial age, reached a great development from a residential and socio-economic point of view, but to explain this phenomenon it is necessary to go back to the last two centuries of the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
: in fact, after the end of the wars that consecrated Rome as the absolute power in the Italian peninsula and in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
(4th–3rd century BC), the countryside had become depopulated because the farmers who managed it had been engaged in the wars themselves. For this reason, at the beginning of the 2nd century BC, new forms of land ownership took shape, such as the ''villa'', a medium-sized land possession worked by slaves under the control of a farmer (''vilicus''), in which the owner lived only occasionally.
The ''villa'' was the most used system in the territories concerned. In fact, between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD the area around Monte Sacro had surely to be dotted with ''villae'' having productive functions: in addition to the many archaeological finds of fragments of amphorae and large food containers, artifacts dating back to the imperial age were found, which attest the presence of ''villae'' where fruit trees, wheat, flowers, vegetables, olive trees and vines were grown, in today's areas of
Monte Sacro
__NoToC__
The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons").
Geography
The Mons Sacer i ...
, Fidene,
Colle Salario, Vigne Nuove, Bufalotta, Serpentara,
Tor San Giovanni, Prati Fiscali, Settebagni,
Castel Giubileo and
Magliana
The Magliana () is an urban zone of Rome, known as 15E of Municipio XI of Rome. It also the name of a neighborhood or ward of the city. Geographically, it is located on the southwest periphery of Rome, Italy along the Tiber River. The neighborh ...
.
We also know, from the sources which have been handed down to us, that oil and grapes were the main productions.
In the territory of the Municipio there are hundreds of Roman ''villae''; here below some of them will be discussed.
Among the most important ''villae'' there is that of the
freedman
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...
Faonte.
The archaeological excavations also brought to light a funeral urn with an inscription dedicated to Claudia Eglogae: this woman was the nurse of
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 ...
and, together with
Acte, collected the body of the Emperor and transported it to the
tomb of the Domitii.
About this ''villa'',
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 ...
informs us that this freedman offered to host Nero himself on the run from
Galba
Galba (; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was the sixth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 68 to 69. After his adoption by his stepmother, and before becoming emperor, he was known as Livius Ocella Sulpicius Ga ...
and his men, ready to kill him. But, with the men of Galba a few meters away, the Emperor decided to commit suicide by stucking a dagger in his throat, with the help of
Epaphroditus
Epaphroditus ( el, Ἐπαφρόδιτος) is a New Testament figure appearing as an envoy of the Philippian church to assist the Apostle Paul (Philippians 2:25-30). He is regarded as a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Churc ...
.
Suetonius indicates the exact location of this building: it rose between Via Nomentana and Via Salaria and precisely, according to some archaeologists, in Via Passo del Turchino. The ''villa'' was probably very large and was divided into two sections: a rustic one and a residential one. Near the ''villa'' there was a large cistern which is still visible.
In the quarter of
Colle Salario, near Via Serrapetrona and Via di Monte Giberto, there is a fenced area where there was another ''villa''. Dating back to the end of the Republican age and the first phases of the Imperial age, the remains of the ''villa'' appear as a masonry core made of mortar and tuff. Furthermore, the presence of fragments of black-painted ceramic makes it almost certain that the site was already frequented in the 2nd century BC.
In Via di Settebagni there is a hill which houses the remains of an Imperial age ''villa'': in particular, there are large
barrel-vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
rooms. The presence of fragments of tiles and ceramic suggests that the construction of this ''villa'' dates back to the late Republican age. The hill where the remains rise was probably terraced by the Romans themselves.
Furthermore, the remains of a ''villa'' called ''Redicicoli del bene'' were also found near Settebagni: This site, damaged during the construction of a complex of townhouses, was probably inhabited until the 5th century AD. Two tombs have also been found nearby, but it is not clear whether these are connected in any way to the ''villa''.
In Via della Bufalotta there are also some remains, accessible by a dirt road, of a late-Republican ''villa''. The excavations were carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma in 1984 and brought to light the remains of a rustic building together with two tanks used for the production of oil and wine, which are still visible today.
In Piazza Monte Torrone there are other remains of a large ''villa'' dating back to the 2nd century AD, while the remains of another ''villa'' are still visible in Via della Marcigliana. Probably some rooms of the ''villa'' were used as cisterns.
Other findings dating back to the Imperial age
In the quarter of Val Melaina there are the remains of an ancient Roman cistern. The cistern, dating back to the 1st century BC, came to light in 1981, during the urbanization works in the area, and is built in tuff.
Nearby there are other ancient structures in ''
opus reticulatum'' used for the pressing of the grapes.
The discovery of abundant fragments of tiles and ''ollae'' suggests that the site was already inhabited in the
archaic era and continued to be so until the Imperial age.
A well dug in the tuff, on the hilltop of the Tallongo estate, can perhaps be associated to the remains of a ''villa'' from the same period.
Middle Ages
![Hubert Robert, The Ponte Salario, c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Hubert_Robert%2C_The_Ponte_Salario%2C_c._1775%2C_NGA_41665.jpg)
In 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 ...
there was a great depopulation of the area which today corresponds to the
Municipio IV
Municipio IV (or Municipality 4) is one of the 15 administrative subdivisions of the city of Rome in Italy. It is located in the northeastern part of the capital.
The Rebibbia
Rebibbia is an urban zone of Rome, Italy. It was located on the ro ...
, but the urban centers of Capobianco, Fidenae and Monte Sacro were not involved.
An opposite situation occurred in Colle Salario (and therefore probably also in the contiguous areas of Castel Giubileo) and along the Via Nomentana, near the place of the martyrdom of
St. Alexander, where there was a great demographic increase.
The expansion of the inhabited territory mainly affected the areas close to the religious centers of St. Michael the Archangel, Castel Giubileo and St. Alexander, as well as the surroundings of other churches.
For many scholars, the phenomenon can be explained by the fact that, after the increasingly frequent
barbarian invasions
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
, the churches became a place of aggregation for the population, especially if working in agricultural activities.
As a response to this growing phenomenon, attempts were made to establish small peasant associations formed by the farmers themselves:
they were the so-called ''
domuscultae'', which had a great development under
Pope Zachary
Pope Zachary ( la, Zacharias; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of slav ...
(741–752) and
Pope Adrian I (772–795) and helped to increase the properties of the church, which were gradually increasing in comparison with the private properties. Edifices built during the Imperial age and still in good condition were often reused for this purpose.
The establishment of these properties commences the phenomenon of the ''casali'', the heirs of the Roman ''villae''. Many ''casali'' were built on the remains of the ''villae'' in the areas of
Marcigliana, Prati Fiscali and Serpentara, but monuments and tombs were reused as well.
There were several fortified ''casali'', each of which was part of the homonymous titular estate: Casale di Redicicoli,
Casal de' Pazzi
Metalurgia Casal was the largest Portuguese motorcycle manufacturer, based in Aveiro. It was founded in 1964 with João Casal as the managing director and Robert Zipprich and other ex-Zundapp engineers as the technical managers. Its first p ...
, Casale della Cesarina, Casale di
Castel Giubileo, Casale della Marcigliana, Casale della Cecchina,
Casal Boccone
Metalurgia Casal was the largest Portuguese motorcycle manufacturer, based in Aveiro. It was founded in 1964 with João Casal as the managing director and Robert Zipprich and other ex-Zundapp engineers as the technical managers. Its first p ...
, Casale di
Villa Spada, Casale di Malpasso, Casale di Settebagni, Casale di Massa, Casal Fiscale and Casale di San Silvestro.
In addition to the construction of the ''casali'', other sites of ancient Rome were destined for various activities. An example is a Roman sepulcher of the 1st century BC located near Ponte Salario: in the Middle Ages it was used as a watchtower for defensive and surveillance purposes and in 537 the so-called Torre del Caricatore was built on it. The tower shows an alternation of light and dark stones in order to make it more visible. The towers built with this system were called ''vergatae''.
Other watchtowers were erected on Roman mausoleums, including Torre della Cecchina and Torre di Capobianco (also called Torre di Castiglione).
Between 1500 and 1700: the ''casali''
The number of ''casali'' remained unchanged from the 17th until the 19th century. The ''casale'' was the core of the land properties and attached great economic importance to the farming. Nevertheless, from the ancient sources it is easy to deduce the presence of plots cultivated with vineyards near Ponte Salario and Tufello in the 14th century, in Castel Giubileo – where white wines were produced – between the mid-16th century and the 17th century, and near Casal Boccone and Casal de 'Pazzi in the 17th century. The present area of Vigne Nuove (Italian for "New Vineyards") takes its name from vineyards planted in the 18th century.
It is also interesting to mention the origin of other place names: Redicicoli (where Via del Casale di Redicicoli now passes) takes its name from the word ''radiciola'', meaning ''radicchio'' or chicory, while the name of Serpentara derives from the fact that in ancient times the area was infested with snakes (Italian: ''serpenti'').
Between 1878 and 1911 the lands were divided into plots according to a law for land reclamation: The current ''casali'' were built in that period, therefore adapted to the needs of the time.
Recent history: from the Garden city to the birth of the new quarters
![Q16 Montesacro Z01 Val Melaina - piazzale Jonio 1230810](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Q16_Montesacro_Z01_Val_Melaina_-_piazzale_Jonio_1230810.JPG)
In 1919, employees of the
State Railways built the first houses in the area today known as
Monte Sacro
__NoToC__
The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons").
Geography
The Mons Sacer i ...
: they rose along Via Nomentana in the direction of Prati Fiscali. The Governor of Rome,
Filippo Cremonesi
Filippo Cremonesi (22 August 1872 – 19 May 1942) was an Italian banker and politician. He was born in Rome, Kingdom of Italy. He was mayor of Rome from 1922 to 1926 and the first Fascist Governor of Rome in 1926. He was a recipient of the Orde ...
, and the President of the Istituto Case Popolari, Alberto Calza Bini, promoted a plan concerning the construction of a Garden city in the area of Monte Sacro: it should have been the largest in Italy and in the world.
The construction, based on a project by Gustavo Giovannoni, was entrusted to an association called Consorzio Città Giardino Aniene, formed by the Istituto Case Popolari and the Unione Edilizia Nazionale. According to the project, some essential services for the development of the Garden city would have arisen near
Ponte Tazio: the park, the post office, the cinema-theater, the shops and the church.
Tree-lined streets should have been traced around these buildings and houses (mainly single-family) should have been surrounded by green areas and gardens.
The quarters of
Val Melaina, Cecchina and Tufello were created in the territory of the
Municipio IV
Municipio IV (or Municipality 4) is one of the 15 administrative subdivisions of the city of Rome in Italy. It is located in the northeastern part of the capital.
The Rebibbia
Rebibbia is an urban zone of Rome, Italy. It was located on the ro ...
between the 1930s and 1940s; later the
Grande Raccordo Anulare was built.
The first houses that were built in the quarter Tufello were very similar to the ones built years earlier as the core of the garden city of Monte Sacro (low-rise buildings surrounded by greenery).
But, after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, to stop the rampant growth of unemployment, the State decided to intervene with plans that would allow the development of housing activities in the area. This program involved building development with a policy of tax advantages for the construction companies and the abolition of taxes on the building sites; its aim was the construction of new popular neighborhoods in the peripheral areas, by demolishing the numerous shacks rising on the major communication arteries of Rome (such as Via Salaria and Via Nomentana).
For this reason, the building became more and more intensive: the townhouses became much higher and the green areas were reduced to a minimum.
Between the 1950s and the 1970s the phenomenon totally degenerated due to the further reduction of the available spaces: the buildings reached heights up to 7 floors and had very small areas for gardens and courtyards. This trend involved the Garden city itself (many single-family dwellings were demolished and replaced with much higher buildings), as well as Tufello, Bufalotta and Vigne Nuove.
Between 1959 and 1962 the quarter of
Monte Sacro Alto (also called Talenti) was created, in the area between Via Nomentana and Via della Bufalotta.
Even the ancient Fidenae was affected by the post-war building phenomenon, in spite of an ordinance dating back to 1962 which provided for an exclusively agricultural use: therefore a new urban zone called Fidene was created between the 1960s and the 1970s.
Neighboring areas, such as Castel Giubileo, were built in the same years, while, after 1962, the growth of the quarter Vigne Nuove received new impetus with the construction of public housing promoted by the Istituto Autonomo Case Popolari.
After 1970, what was then called "IV Circoscrizione" experienced a great building growth not only along Via delle Vigne Nuove, but also in other areas such as Conca d'Oro, Val Melaina, Nuovo Salario and Serpentara.
Subsequently, between 1980 and 1985, buildings of medium height (many of them reaching six floors) and tall towers (up to fifteen floors) were built in the area now called
Colle Salario.
The phenomenon of urbanization did not stop even in the quarter Talenti: in the years between 1995 and 1998 the building plans involved the large green extensions between Via Gaspara Stampa, Via Nomentana and Via di Casal Boccone.
Finally, after 2005, the groundwork was laid for the construction of the new residential district of Casale Nei. This quarter, partly still under construction and enclosed between Colle Salario and Vigne Nuove, is growing around a large green area: Parco delle Sabine.
It should be noted, in conclusion, that in recent years a greater ecological awareness has slowed down urban development and allowed to preserve numerous green areas in the Municipio.
Chronology
*700,000 years ago: the first fossils date back to this period.
*200.000/100.000 years ago: the
Man of Saccopastore lived in these territories.
*474 BC:
Fidenae is conquered by Romans.
*436 BC-435 BC: The Romans set fire to Fidenae.
*Imperial age: the area has a great urban development.
*
68:
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 ...
dies before refusing to be hosted by Faonte.
*2nd century BC-2nd century AD: the ''villae'' have a huge development in the area.
*537: The Torre del Caricatore is built.
*740–780: another grea urban development in the area.
*17th century-19th century: rise of the ''casali''.
*1919: the first houses are built in
Monte Sacro
__NoToC__
The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons").
Geography
The Mons Sacer i ...
.
*1920s–1940s: the Garden city is built.
*1930s–1940s: the quarters
Val Melaina and Tufello are built.
*1950s–1970s: very tall edifices are built, the Garden city is partially demolished.
*1970s: the quarters of Conca d'Oro, Serpentara and Nuovo Salario are built.
*1980–1985: the quarter
Colle Salario is built.
*1994: opening of the FR1 regional railway line.
*1995–1998: the construction of the quarters Talenti and Casal Boccone does not stop.
*2005: the new quarter Porta di Roma is built.
*Construction of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
'
Rome Italy Temple
The Rome Italy Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Rome, Italy. The temple serves church members in Italy, as well as Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Albania and parts of Romania. Thomas S. Monson, the LDS C ...
began in 2010, and the temple opened after its dedication in 2019.
[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]
Rome Italy Temple to Begin Public Tours
published 14 January 2019, accessed 29 June 2022
*2012: opening of three stops of the Line B1 of Rome Metro.
Culture
Libraries
* Ennio Flaiano, in Via Monte Ruggero
Cinemas
* Cinema Antares, in Viale Adriatico
* Uci Cinemas Porta di Roma, in Via delle Vigne Nuove, within the Porta di Roma shopping center.
See also
*
Municipio IV
Municipio IV (or Municipality 4) is one of the 15 administrative subdivisions of the city of Rome in Italy. It is located in the northeastern part of the capital.
The Rebibbia
Rebibbia is an urban zone of Rome, Italy. It was located on the ro ...
*
Fidenae
*
Crustumerium
Crustumerium (or Crustumium) was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber.
In the legends concerning Rome's early history, the Crustumini were amongst the peoples whic ...
*
Monte Sacro
__NoToC__
The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons").
Geography
The Mons Sacer i ...
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
*
* {{Cite web, url=http://www.elezioni.comune.roma.it/elezioni/2016/comunali/a062016b/vpreb03.htm, title=Amministrative 2016 – Municipio 03 (già 04), website=Roma Capitale
Municipi of Rome