Municipio Roma VII is the seventh

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 the Municipality of Rome (Italy). It was established by the Municipal Assembly, with Resolution nr. 11 of 11 March 2013, following the unification of Municipio Roma IX (formerly ''Circoscrizione IX'') and Municipio Roma X (formerly ''Circoscrizione X''). It is the most populous ''Municipio'' in the city, the only one with more than 300,000 inhabitants.

Geography

The territory of the ''Municipio'' extends in the south-eastern quadrant of the city, from Porta San Giovanni to the border of the Municipality of Rome, along the road axes of Via Appia Nuova and Via Tuscolana. Its borders are: * to the north-west, the Aurelian Walls; * to the north, the

Rome–Cassino–Naples railway The Rome–Cassino–Naples railway is a railway in Italy, the first of the three existing railway lines between the capitals of Latium and Campania to be opened when it was completed by the Società per le strade ferrate romane in 1863. The lin ...

, the former Centocelle Airport and the Autostrada A1; * to the east, the Municipalities of

Grottaferrata Grottaferrata () is a small town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, south east of Rome. It has grown up around the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, founded in 1004. Nearby com ...

and

Frascati Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated wit ...

; * to the south, Via Appia Nuova and the Municipality of

Ciampino Ciampino () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It was a ''frazione'' of Marino until 1974, when it became a ''comune''; it obtained the city ( it, città) status (being therefore officially known as Città ...

; * to the west, the Appian Way Regional Park.

History

The territory of the ''Municipio'' was inhabited since prehistoric times, as shown by the excavations of the four necropolises of Osteria del Curato-Via Cinquefrondi, Lucrezia Romana, Romanina and Ponte delle Sette Miglia, with rock-out chamber tombs from the

Copper Age The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "Rock (geology), stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin ''wikt:aeneus, aeneus'' "of copper"), is an list of archaeologi ...

, related to the so-called

Rinaldone culture The Rinaldone culture was an Eneolithic culture that spread between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BC in northern and central Lazio, in southern Tuscany and, to a lesser extent, also in Marche and Umbria. It takes its name from the town of Rinaldo ...

. In Roman times, the territory of the ''Municipio'' was crossed by the ''

Via Latina The Via Latina (Latin for "Latin Road") was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers. Route It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mount Algidus; it was important in the ear ...

'' and the ''

Via Asinaria ''Via Asinaria'' was an ancient Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through ...

''.
As in the rest of the ''

Ager Romanus The Ager Romanus (literally, "the field of Rome"') is the geographical rural area (part plains, part hilly) that surrounds the city of Rome. Politically and historically, it has represented the area of influence of Rome's municipal government. It ...

'' – also thanks to several

aqueducts Aqueduct may refer to: Structures *Aqueduct (bridge), a bridge to convey water over an obstacle, such as a ravine or valley *Navigable aqueduct, or water bridge, a structure to carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railw ...

that crossed it – there were numerous '' villae'', that is, farming estates of medium extension whose production was at the service of the city. 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 ...

the ''villae'' were converted into ''

Domusculta A domusculta (plural - ''domuscultae'') was a papal estate in Italy in the Middle Ages, or the large villa complex at the centre of such an estate. An example is the ''Domusculta Capracorum'' of Pope Hadrian I. They were similar to the papal ''p ...

e'' and fortifications and later into farmhouses and towers (such as Tor Fiscale, Torre del Quadraro and Torre di Mezzavia), in close relationship with the settlements towards the

Roman Castles The so-called Roman Castles (''Castelli Romani'' in Italian) are a group of ''comunes'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome. They are located a short distance south-east of the city of Rome, at the feet of the Alban Hills, in the territory corresp ...

. The ancient Roman roads were replaced first by Via Tuscolana and then, in 1574, by Via Appia Nuova, opened by

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

. In place of the broken aqueducts, in 1122

Callixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

dug the artificial canal of Acqua Mariana, while in 1587

Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

built the Felice aqueduct, which crosses Via Tuscolana near Porta Furba. Until the beginning of the 20th century the territory boasted many vineyards and villas – most of which were destroyed due to the subsequent building expansion or, in a few surviving cases, whose area was greatly reduced (the present

Villa Lais A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...

, Villa Fiorelli and

Villa Lazzaroni A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...

) – as well as production plants and mills exploiting the water power of Acqua Mariana. FIORELLI1

The urbanization of the territory began with the master plan of 1909, which declared the areas within the railway to be suitable for small-size buildings and villas, including those that survived around Villa Fiorelli.
A tramway line connecting with the Roman castles was also inaugurated in 1903, the

Sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...

s of

Cines The Società Italiana Cines (''Italian Cines Company'') is a film company specializing in production and distribution of films. The company was founded on 1 April 1906. A major force in the European film industry before the First World War, the ...

film company in 1905 and the ''Motovelodromo Appio'' (later demolished) in 1910. Both the size of the buildings and the population density, however, increased with the 1925 variant and the new 1931 master plan, resulting in an intensive urban fabric in the '' Quartieri''

Appio-Latino Appio-Latino is the 9th '' quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. IX. The name derives from the ancient roads Via Appia and Via Latina. It belongs to the Municipio VII and Municipio VIII. History The origins of the terri ...

and

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 ...

, with tall buildings and very few green areas.
Meanwhile, in breach of the master plan, various unauthorized settlements arose – such as the Quadraro – as well as "hamlets" made of shacks built against the arches (on Via del Mandrione, at the Caffarella and at the Felice aqueduct, restored and demolished only in the late 1970s). The year 1937 saw the inauguration of the

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios w ...

studios (together with the Istituto Luce and the

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (Experimental Film Centre or Italian National film school) was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film. The centre is the oldest film school in ...

), where all the greatest directors and actors of

Italian cinema The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and the stylistic aspect of film h ...

shot movies and which became the "Hollywood on the Tiber" in the years of the ''Dolce Vita'', with many famous American productions (the so-called "colossals"). During the Nazi occupation of Rome in

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the inhabitants actively participated in the Resistance, to the point that on 17 April 1944 the German army, as a reprisal, carried out a mop-up in the Quadraro, deporting between 700 and 950 men to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. On 17 April 2004 the then Municipio X was awarded the

Gold Medal for Civil Valor The awards for Civil Valor are the honors the Italian Republic grants in order to "reward acts of exceptional courage that clearly manifest civic virtue and to recognize the recipients as worthy of public honor". Individual citizens can receive the ...

. After the war, the building expansion continued with the intensive palaces of the '' Quartieri''

Don Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century. While working ...

and Appio Claudio, eventually endangering the Caffarella valley; an exception were the "INA-Casa" buildings between Viale Spartaco and Via Selinunte (on-line, tower and one-family houses with an original urban design, built by the best architects of the "Neorealistic" movement, such as

Adalberto Libera Adalberto Libera (; 16 July 1903 – 17 March 1963) was one of the most representative architects of the Italian Modern movement.Adalberto Libera at DARC (Dept. of Architecture and Contemporary Art, Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage) Biogr ...

).
Moving towards the boundaries of the Municipality, there is a prevalence of both extensive buildings, which have been at least partly built illegally ( Quarto Miglio, Statuario, Tor Fiscale, Capannelle,

Osteria del Curato An osteria (, plural ''osterie'') in Italy was originally a place serving wine and simple food. Lately, the emphasis has shifted to the food, but menus tend to be short, with the emphasis on local specialities such as pasta and grilled meat o ...

, Morena, Gregna, Romanina,

Vermicino Vermicino is a village and civil parish (''frazione'') of the Italian municipality of Frascati, in the Province of Rome, Lazio. In Italian language its name means "''little worm''", in an unused form. Geography Located near Ciampino (4 km a ...

, Passolombardo), as well as modern districts with greater endowments of public green ( Cinecittà Est, Torre di Mezzavia, Nuova Romanina, Nuova Tor Vergata). The new Roman master plan includes the planning of the urban centrality of Anagnina-Romanina.

Monuments and places of interest

Porta Metronia Porta Metronia is a gate in the third-century Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy. The gate is located in the southern section of the wall between Porta San Giovanni to the east and Porta Latina to the south. During the tenth century, beyond this g ...

Porta Asinaria The Porta Asinaria is a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome. Dominated by two protruding tower blocks and associated guard rooms, it was built between 271 and 275 AD, at the same time as the Wall itself. It was not rebuilt or fortified in the ti ...

and Porta San Giovanni in the Aurelian Walls * Mausoleum of Severus Alexander, also known as ''Monte del Grano'' * Columbaria of Via Pescara and

Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a 1st-century CE Roman columbarium, situated near the Porta Latina on the Via di Porta Latina, Rome, Italy. It was discovered and excavated in 1831 by Pietro Campana. Though its name derives from Pomponius ...

* Hypogeum of Via Compagni *

Acqua Felice The Acqua Felice is one of the aqueducts of Rome, completed in 1586 by Pope Sixtus V, whose birth name, which he never fully abandoned, was Felice Peretti. The first new aqueduct of early modern Rome, its source is at the springs at Pantano Bo ...

and Porta Furba, built in 1587 *

Capannelle Racecourse Capannelle Racecourse ( it, Ippodromo delle Capannelle) is a horse racing venue in Rome, Italy. The course was constructed in 1881, and it was rebuilt in 1926 to a design by Paolo Vietti-Violi. It was recently the venue of two Group 1 flat ...

, inaugurated in 1881 and rebuilt in 1926 * Basilica of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, consecrated in 1936 * Former seat of Istituto Luce, built in 1937 in Piazza di Cinecittà and currently seat of the Municipality *

film studios, inaugurated in 1937 and linked to the name of

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most ...

, whose present seat was inaugurated in 1937 * Basilica of San Giovanni Bosco, consecrated in 1959 * Antiquarium di Lucrezia Romana, inaugurated in 2005

Parks and villas

Parco degli Acquedotti The Parco degli Acquedotti is a public park to the southeast of Rome, Italy. It is part of the Appian Way Regional Park and is of approximately 240 ha. Description The park is named after the aqueducts that run through it. It is crossed on ...

with seven ancient roman and papal aqueducts:

Anio Vetus 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 pri ...

(underground), Marcia, Tepula, Iulia and

(overlapped), Claudia and

Anio novus Aqua Anio Novus (Latin for "New Anio aqueduct") was an ancient Roman aqueduct. Like the Aqua Claudia, it was begun by emperor Caligula in 38 AD and completed in 52 AD by Claudius, who dedicated them both on August 1. Together with the Aqua A ...

(overlapped) *

Park of the Caffarella The Caffarella Park ( it, Parco della Caffarella) is a large park in Rome, Italy, protected from development. It is part of the ''Parco Regionale Appia Antica'' (Appian Way Regional Park). The park is contained in the Caffarella Valley and is bor ...

, with the river

Almone The Almone (Latin: ''Almo'') is a small river of the Ager Romanus, a few miles south of the city of Rome. Today the river is polluted and is channelled to a sewage treatment plant and no longer reaches its natural confluence with the Tiber. Name T ...

, part of the Appian Way Regional Park *Parco XVII Aprile 1944 and Monte del Grano * Tombs of Via Latina Archaeological Park *

Villa of the sette bassi The Villa dei Sette Bassi (also Villa Via Tuscolana) was the second-largest ancient Roman villa or monumental palace in the suburbs after the Villa of the Quintilii. The site is on a hilly plateau located at the fifth mile of Via Tuscolana to t ...

* Villa Fiorelli *

Libraries

* Nelson Mandela, on Via La Spezia * Raffaello, on Via Tuscolana * Casa dei Bimbi, on Via Libero Leonardi

Human geography

Historic divisions

The territory of the ''Municipio'' includes the following toponymic districts of the Municipality of Rome. ; Quartieri * Q. VII Prenestino-Labicano (partly), Q. VIII

(partly), Q. IX

(partly), Q. XXIV

(partly), Q. XXV Appio Claudio, Q. XXVI Appio-Pignatelli (partly) ;

Zone Zone or The Zone may refer to: Places Climate and altitude zones * Death zone (originally the lethal zone), altitudes above a certain point where the amount of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span * Frigid zone, ...

* Z. XV Torre Maura (partly), Z. XVI Torrenova (partly), Z. XVII Torre Gaia (partly), Z. XVIII Capannelle, Z. XIX Casal Morena, Z. XX Aeroporto di Ciampino (partly)

Administrative divisions

The urban division of the territory includes the five urban zones of the former Municipio IX and the eleven ones of the former Municipio X. Its population is distributed as follows:

Infrastructure and transport

Streets

Road mobility in radial direction is ensured by Via Appia Nuova, Via Tuscolana Via Anagnina, as well as the Rome-Naples motorway, which intersect the

Grande Raccordo Anulare The GRA or Grande Raccordo Anulare (literally, "Great Ring Junction") is a toll-free, ring-shaped long orbital motorway that encircles Rome. GRA is one of the most important roads in Rome, and traffic reaches 160,000 vehicles per day as of 20 ...

Railways

It is served by the following stations: San Giovanni, Re di Roma, Ponte Lungo, Furio Camillo,

Colli Albani The Alban Hills ( it, Colli Albani) are the caldera remains of a quiescent volcanic complex in Italy, located southeast of Rome and about north of Anzio. The high Monte Cavo forms a highly visible peak the centre of the caldera, but the hi ...

, Arco di Travertino, Porta Furba/Quadraro, Numidio Quadrato, Lucio Sestio, Giulio Agricola, Subaugusta,

, Anagnina
Metropolitana di Roma C

It is served by the following stations: San Giovanni, Lodi BSicon BAHN

Lazio suburban rail. Line 1: Roma Tuscolana, Line 3: Roma Tuscolana, Line 4: Capannelle, Line 5: Roma Tuscolana, Line 6: Capannelle Almost half of the Line A of the

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban ...

runs inside the ''Municipio'', including the large interchange junction of Anagnina, with the terminus of Cotral suburban bus services along Via Tuscolana, Via Casilina, Via Anagnina,

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

and Via Nettunense. At the Ponte Lungo station it is possible to exchange at the Tuscolana station the FL1, FL3 and FL5 regional railway lines; the other station in the area is that of Capannelle on the FL4 and FL6 lines. In 2015 the Lodi station of the Line C was inaugurated: it was a temporary terminus until the opening of the San Giovanni station in 2018.

Airports

* Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport, on the border with the municipality of

Administration

Twinning

The former Municipio IX was twinned with Hai, Hai District,

Kilimanjaro Region Kilimanjaro Region (''Mkoa wa Kilimanjaro'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital and largest city is the municipality of Moshi. With a HDI of 0.613, Kilimajaro is one among the most developed regions ...

Sport

basketball

* ''Carver Cinecittà'': in the season 2019–2020 plays in the men's Serie C championship.The regional championship
on FIP website * ''Cinecittà BK Polaris'': in the season 2019–2020 plays in the men's Serie C championship.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*{{Cite web, url=https://www.comune.roma.it/web/it/municipio-vii.page, title=Sito istituzionale del VII Municipio Municipi of Rome