Ostiense is a formerly industrial quarter in southern Rome, built up in the early twentieth century around the Ostiense railway terminal, gasometers, and the city’s main slaughterhouse. Today it is one of Rome’s most dynamic neighborhoods, blending monumental archaeology, converted industrial architecture, large-scale street murals, and a dense after-dark scene that draws students from Roma Tre University.
What is Ostiense known for?
Ostiense is known primarily for the Centrale Montemartini, a decommissioned 1912 thermoelectric power station on Via Ostiense that now houses classical sculptures from the Capitoline Museums collection, creating a celebrated contrast between ancient marble and industrial machinery. The neighborhood is also recognized for its gasometer towers visible from across the district, the Piramide di Caio Cestio at its northern edge, and a concentration of large-scale street art murals, particularly along Via del Porto Fluviale, making it one of Rome’s foremost open-air street art corridors.
Best things to do in Ostiense
The single most rewarding activity is a visit to the Centrale Montemartini on Via Ostiense, followed by a walk south along the same avenue to read the street art murals on Via del Porto Fluviale and Via Libetta. The Protestant Cemetery, officially the Cimitero Acattolico, sits just north near the Piramide metro stop and contains the graves of Keats and Shelley. The Gazometro complex, the landmark pair of gasometer structures, frames views throughout the quarter.
- Tour Centrale Montemartini museum on Via Ostiense
- Walk the street art corridor on Via del Porto Fluviale
- Visit the Cimitero Acattolico (Non-Catholic Cemetery) near Piramide
- Explore the Piramide di Caio Cestio, a first-century BC Roman pyramid
- Browse the Mercato di Testaccio, a covered food market on the Testaccio border
Where to eat and drink in Ostiense
Ostiense and adjacent Testaccio together form one of Rome’s most food-dense zones, with the Mercato di Testaccio on Via Galvani offering stalls serving supplì, offal sandwiches, and fresh pasta, while Via Libetta and Via dei Conciatori concentrate cocktail bars and pizzerias popular with university students after dark. The neighborhood’s trattorias lean toward traditional Roman cuisine built around coda alla vaccinara, cacio e pepe, and offal dishes that reflect the area’s historic connection to Rome’s former slaughterhouse, the Mattatoio.
- Supplì and offal sandwiches at Mercato di Testaccio stalls
- Cacio e pepe and coda alla vaccinara at neighborhood trattorias
- Aperitivo bars and clubs along Via Libetta
How to get to Ostiense
Ostiense is served directly by Metro Line B at the Piramide station, which also connects to the Ostiense railway station handling regional trains toward the coast and Fiumicino Airport via the Leonardo Express junction at Tiburtina. Tram line 3 runs along Viale Aventino and connects the area to the Colosseum and Trastevere, while multiple bus lines use Via Ostiense as a main corridor.
- Metro Line B: Piramide station
- Ostiense railway station: regional and FL1 airport rail
- Tram 3: Viale Aventino toward Trastevere and the Colosseum
Where to walk in Ostiense
The most rewarding walk begins at the Piramide di Caio Cestio, continues south along Via Ostiense past the Centrale Montemartini, then turns onto Via del Porto Fluviale to view the street art murals before looping back via Via Libetta toward the Gazometro structures. A secondary route connects through the Testaccio neighborhood via Via Galvani to the Mercato di Testaccio and Monte Testaccio, the ancient hill composed of broken Roman amphorae.
Best time to visit Ostiense
Ostiense is most atmospheric in spring and autumn when temperatures allow comfortable walking between outdoor murals and industrial landmarks; the neighborhood’s nightlife and university-driven restaurant scene peaks on Thursday through Saturday evenings year-round, while the Centrale Montemartini and Cimitero Acattolico are best visited on weekday mornings to avoid queues.
