SAN LORENZO NEIGHBORHOOD

San Lorenzo is the part of the Tiburtino DISTRICT laying between the University La Sapienza and the railway freight and between the Aurelian Walls and the Verano cemetery. It takes its name from the Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, one of the Seven Churches of Rome. 

At first sight San Lorenzo seems to be a dirty and dangerous area, especially at night. In fact, things are not exactly like that, except for the dirt which is common to much of Rome and very tied to the fact that here is one of the places The danger however is only apparent. Certainly in the evening there are many people who drank a little too much or that offer for sale goods of dubious origin and therefore can be really annoying. But, because the neighborhood is small and everyone knows everyone, it is very difficult for those who circulate to be in a real danger..

The construction of the neighborhood dates from the late nineteenth century when Rome, recently become the capital of Italy, had a rapid urban development. The houses in San Lorenzo were mainly built for workers and employees, especially those of the railways, and artisans. The lack of urban services quickly led to the degradation of the area that became a den of petty criminals. Nevertheless San Lorenzo became famous all around the world because here Maria Montessori founded her first Casa dei Bambini, located in Via dei Marsi, just steps away from San Lorenzo Guest House.
San Lorenzo has a particular role in Italian history during the period of fascism. It was the only district of Rome where the inhabitants made opposition to  the March on Rome of 28 October 1922 following which Mussolini became head of government. On July 19, 1943, during the war, it was heavily bombed by the Anglo-American air forces that caused more than 3,000 deaths. This event, which shocked the people of Rome that thought that the city would never have been hit, brought in just six days to the deposition of Mussolini and the subsequent armistice with the Allies. 

After the war, the deterioration of the neighborhood, hit hard by the bombing, continued. The situation began to change during the years of student protest since 1968. Thanks to the availability of low-cost or abandoned spaces several extreme-left student organizations found their place in San Lorenzo. So, San Lorenzo was one of the "hottest" places of those years.
 
In the wake of the students they began arriving bars, restaurants, pubs and other premises of various types. And so San Lorenzo began to turn into one of the hottest places of Roman nightlife, especially the one linked to the university students. In the area called Quadrilatero (the Quadrangle), having a surface of less than 0.30 sq. km. and where the longest distance is 800 meters, there are over 100 premises of different types.

San Lorenzo is one of the most anarchic area in Rome, but also one of those where you can still find unique shops and artisan workshops of their kind; an example is the Aviolibri library, located in via dei Marsi and specialized in books on the flight. After all, despite its flaws, San Lorenzo is a human-scale neighborhood.