NAMES OF ASMARA STREETS
DURING ITALIAN RULE
To begin with, just take a look at one of the well-built and classical
mansions which are located around Principe, once an Italian Middle
School or around Hamasien and Embasoira hotels. Most of them were the
residences of the upper and military class Italians. They are within the
walking distance from the cultural centers: chiefly the Cinema Asmara
which ones known as Opera House available for privileged few including
the Gothic Cathedral along with exclusive clubs for men-in-uniform and
business class. Their recreation centers within the city limit was at
Campobello aria where the horse race (polo) and pigeon hunt were a
frequent sports.
Most of their exclusive schools such as
Michelangelo Bonaroti Elementary School, Prinicipe Middle and Botego
Engineer School including the Art School were and still are located
around their residence areas. The academic and high-tech institutions
reflected their social taste within a class conscious society such as
the Romans. As described their dancing hall was located at the outskirt
of
Asmara along Massawa road where they were enjoying a Saturday
evening Ball including a game at a nearby tennis court. However the
common Italians most of whom laborers and soldiers were living at Geza
Banda Tlyan and Geza Kenisha with their separate churches, schools,
cinemas including soccer fields such as Cicero and Ferovia. From the
perspective of our love for cycling, football and movie, we can tell how
much the culture of common Italians left a deep mark in our national
psyche, but not a reading culture.
As Alberto Moravia, the
greatest Italian writer of the century put it: The working class
Italians are not well adept to reading which is exclusively right for
leisure
class Italians, of course, the intelligentsia and power
elite. If our forefathers had an opportunity to learn and read the great
works of classical antiquity such as that of Dante, Cicero, Terence,
Seneca, Machiavelli, Paretto, we would have been a different breed of
generation. It is a lost opportunity based on human oppression indeed.
With this in mind, we have to wake up with new spirit to acquire a
never-ending knowledge by way of a lifetime learning which is highly
facilitated by state-of-art computer technology.
Following are the streets names of Asmara during Italian rule:-
A. Around Shuq.
- Viale Milano (Godena Qedamwi Minelik starting from Geza kenisha all the way down to Mai Bella)
- Via Tevere ( Mengedi Akria or Edaga Arbi staring from Karsholi (Prison House).'
- Via Piave (Geza Birhanu Area)
- Via Adige.
- Via Brenta
- Via Po (River Po)
- Via Salso
B. Caravanseraglio area (medeber) or ShuQ
- Via Bologna
- Via Venezia (The Merchant of Venice)
- Via Trieste
- Via Calighari
C. mesgid Area
- Via Tienesai
- Via Saseno
- Viale Duca (Palaso Aba Habesh)
- Viale Massawa (Massawa Road)
- Viale Di Abruzzi ( Mai Chihot Raod)
D. Around the Grand Mosque
- Via Toscana
- Via Zora
- Via Bordia
- Via Ventio
- Corso Del Re Imperatore (Godena Itege Taytu in the fornt of Mesgid or Italian Mercato-Inda Asa (fish)
E. Around Cinema Dante
- Via Buria
-Via Valmazio
- Via Lazio
- Via Luciana
- Via Molise
F. Around Combishtato (Godena Sematat or Harnet)
- Via Brichetti
- Via Sapeto (Jusepe Sapeto Italian Explorer)
- Via Stella (Who established the Italian schools in Eritrean including for natives in Massawa)
- Via Vidieto Croce (Educator in Eritrea)
- Via Cecchi (Statesman)
- Via Casabi
- Via Dietto (Artisan)
- Via G. Criacini
- Via Umberto (King of Italy before fascist era)
- Via Boccacio V., Micheal Angelo Bonaroti ( a poet and painter respectively)
- Viale Fernandini (First Governer of Eritrea)
- Via Salembeni ( A General who killed in the battle of Adwa)
- Forto Balidisera (A General who killed in the Battle of Adowa). Forto is at Seserat (Kagnew Station) where
the Eri-TV stationed.
- Viale Camice Nere ( Balila)
- Vialle della Vitoria
- Viale G. Marconi (Telephone Inventor)
- Via Albeto Liuzzi
- Via F. M. Morganttni
- Via p. Di Gregorio
- Via L. Zannoni
- Via Abibo.
There were also many plazas and streets associated with the names of
cities and commemorative days such as Vialle 3 Ottobre, and Piazza 4
Novembre located inside the city. Some of these streets called after the
names of royal family of Ethiopia including nobles and provinicial
towns. Again, some had been renamed during the Derg era. I didn't know
how the names of these streets changed after liberation. Anyone can
help?
Haile Bokure
