Via Cristoforo Colombo (or just la Colombo, as it is often called by the Romans; Italian pronunciation:[kriˈstɔːforokoˈlombo]) is a street in Rome (Italy) that links the historic centre to Ostia. Along most of its route, the street has three lanes for each direction of movement. With its 27 kilometres (17mi) length it is the longest Italian road among those included within the borders of a single municipality and, in several stretches, the largest in Italy.
Via Cristoforo Colombo starts from Porta Ardeatina and continues south-west, ending on the coast in the district of Castel Fusano.
History
The street was designed in 1937 with the name of Via Imperiale, as a part of the five-years plan of works associated to the 1941 World's fair of Rome: it should have linked the centre of the town to the new exhibition buildings (EUR) and then continue towards the Lido di Roma, according to Mussolini's project of enlargement of Rome to the sea.
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In correspondence to the EUR lake (EUR Palasport and EUR Fermi metro stations, line B), it trespasses the reservoir and divides itself into two separated stretches that pass the PalaLottomatica.
After crossing Viale dell'Oceano Pacifico and Viale dell'Oceano Atlantico, the street leaves the EUR Quarter and the more densely inhabited area of the town.
Soon after the trunk road nr. 148 "Pontina" comes off on the left and after a few kilometres the street underpasses the Grande Raccordo Anulare; Via Colombo can be accessed from the Raccordo just from its outer lane.
Starting from Via del Risaro it runs along the presidential estate of Castelporziano, then reaches Casal Palocco and, after passing the pine forest of Castelfusano, ends in Piazzale Cristoforo Colombo in Ostia, close to the railway station with the same name.
See Anna Maria Ramieri and Simone Quilici in the Bibliography section
Bibliography
Anna Maria Ramieri, La via Imperiale e le scoperte archeologiche (1937–1941) in Gli anni del Governatorato (1926–1944), pp.109–114, Collection Quaderni dei monumenti, Rome, Edizioni Kappa, 1995. ISBN88-7890-181-4.