Roma Ostiense Railway Station
Rome built Ostiense station in haste for Hitler’s 1938 visit, then rebuilt it in travertine for keeps — Roberto Narducci’s monumental terminus, lined with mosaics of Roman history.
At a glance
Roma Ostiense was first thrown up as a temporary structure for Adolf Hitler’s state visit to Rome in May 1938, so that the dictator would arrive at a grand new station near the route to the city. The provisional building was so admired that Roberto Narducci replaced it with a near-identical permanent station in travertine, inaugurated on 28 October 1940.
Key facts
- Built: temporary 1938; permanent inaugurated 28 October 1940
- Architect: Roberto Narducci
- Reason: Hitler’s 1938 visit; planned for the 1942 Universal Exposition
- Decoration: mosaics by Giulio Rosso and Maria Immacolata Zaffuto; bas-relief (Bellerophon and Pegasus) by Francesco Nagni
- Style: monumental, travertine-clad
History
Roma Ostiense was born of a single event: the state visit of Adolf Hitler to Rome in May 1938. A temporary station was built so that he would not arrive at the old Termini, but near the Aurelian Walls on the way into the city.
The provisional building proved so successful that Roberto Narducci was asked to make it permanent. The new station, of almost identical design, was clad in travertine and inaugurated on 28 October 1940, intended also to serve the Universal Exposition (E42) planned for 1942.
Inside, mosaics by Giulio Rosso and Maria Immacolata Zaffuto depict Roman themes, and a bas-relief of Bellerophon and Pegasus by Francesco Nagni marks the building.
What you see
A long travertine front with a porticoed entrance, monumental and restrained in the manner of late-1930s Roman official architecture. The interior keeps its historical mosaics.
The station sits beside the Porta San Paolo and the Pyramid of Cestius, by the Aurelian Walls.
Practical information
- A busy working station, connected to Piramide metro (Line B)
- The travertine front and interior mosaics are the architecture
- Beside Porta San Paolo and the Pyramid of Cestius
- Allow 15 minutes
Getting there
Roma Ostiense is south of the centre, beside Porta San Paolo; it connects to the Piramide station on Metro Line B and to the Roma–Lido line. By car it is on the Via Ostiense.
Nearby
- The Pyramid of Cestius and Porta San Paolo
- The Non-Catholic Cemetery
- The Centrale Montemartini museum
Sources
- Comune di Roma / Sovrintendenza Capitolina
- Fondazione FS Italiane
- Roberto Narducci — architectural literature
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