The very first information about Mestre’s history goes back to an ancient myth that traced its foundation down to Mesthle, son of the king of the Eneti population, who had escaped from Troy with Antenore. 
Although many theses have been advanced regarding the city’s foundation, it is sure that it was initially a Roman castrum, then it became Castelvecchio fortress (Castrum Vetus), witnessed by the recently restored Torre Civica, visible from Piazza Ferretto.
The town’s origins moreover, interweave with the ‘river Mestre’, nowadays called Marzenego, from which it might draw its name.  Along the river banks there was intense commercial activity and the first ports where born: Cavergnago port, on the river’s mouth; Mestre port, along the northern limit of Castelvecchio (Candiani square); St Lorenzo port (now via Poerio), market of oxen (Forte Marghera).