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 heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

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, ...

: 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 Pr ...

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 Agger may refer to: * Agger (surname) * Agger (ancient Rome), a type of ancient Roman rampart or embankment * Agger (river), a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Agger nasi, an anatomical feature of the nose * Agger Rockshelter, in Wisconsi ...

'' 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 Persia ...

, 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 The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τ� ...

, 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 ...

, 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 large ...

. 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 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, 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 p ...

, Piazza dei

Cinquecento The cultural and artistic events of Italy during the period 1500 to 1599 are collectively referred to as the Cinquecento (, ), from the Italian for the number 500, in turn from , which is Italian for the year 1500. Cinquecento encompasses the ...

, 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 ...

, located between Piazzale Sisto V and Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo) and

Prenestino-Labicano Prenestino-Labicano is the 7th ''quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. VII. The name derives from the ancient roads Via Prenestina and Via Labicana, today the initial stretch of Via Casilina. It belongs to the Municipio V an ...

(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 ...

(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 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 The Porta Maggiore Basilica is an underground basilica discovered in 1917 near Porta Maggiore in Rome. It is dated to the first century BC. It is believed to have been the meeting place of the neo-Pythagoreans, and is the only historical site ...

* Ipogeo degli Aureli *

Amphitheatrum Castrense The Amphitheatrum Castrense is a Roman amphitheatre in Rome, next to the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.Coulston, J C (01/01/2000). ''Ancient Rome : the archaeology of the eternal city''. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost): Oxford Univers ...

* Temple of Minerva Medica * 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 The Acquario Romano (''Roman Aquarium'') is situated in Piazza Manfredo Fanti, Rome, Italy. Description Designed by Ettore Bernich and built between 1885 and 1887, the building hosted an aquarium for few years. It was later used as a depot o ...

, in Piazza Manfredo Fanti * Palazzo della Zecca di Stato, in Via Principe Umberto, seat of the first national mint * Villa Wolkonsky, 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 Pil ...

* 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. Histo ...

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 Santa Maria Immacolata all'Esquilino is a 20th-century parochial church and titular church on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, dedicated to Mary Immaculate. History Santa Maria Immacolata all'Esquilino was built in 1896–1914 in the Gothic Reviva ...

* Chapel of Sant'Elena * Chapel of Santa Maria Addolorata all'Esquilino * Santissimo Crocifisso alla Stazione Termini

Other

* Teatro Ambra Jovinelli

Note

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