Rome - Travel Guide to Testaccio Quarter

My Testaccio:

Walking around Testaccio market early on a weekday morning, and your senses will be overwhelmed by the vibrant colours of fresh fruit and vegetables overflowing from their crates, the smells of fresh fish and the shouts of traders calling out to passersby to promote their wares.
This ancient quarter of Rome has been a hub of intense commercial activity since the 1st century BC when olive oil importers would gather in the market place to trade oil from Spain and Africa. The oil was carried in pots called 'Testae' which were then simply discarded in these days that predated re-recycling and the mania for interesting plant containers. This created an ever growing pile that in the 3rd century became Mount Testaccio, a hill of around 120 feet made entirely from broken vases, an estimated 50 million pieces in total. Statisticians claim that this represented a an average annual consumption of around 22 litres of olive oil per person for the time.
An area now known for its nightlife and a magnet for students who come to enjoy the many bars and nightclubs, Testaccio during the day is one of the few suburbs of Rome that has not suffered from residential development and has managed to retain an authentic feel.

Testaccio: Top Ten Things to See and Do

1. Buy shoes at the Saturday morning market
2. Walk around Mount Testaccio
3. Play football in the piazza where Italy's first football team began
4. Arrive early and enjoy a coffee whilst you watch the market traders set up their stalls
5. Visit Keats and Shelley at the Protestant Cemetery
6. See Rome's famous Pyramid
7. Enjoy the nightlife
8. Visit the Rome War Cemetery including a piece of Hadrian's wall
9. Drink wine from one of the cellars under Mount Testaccio
10. Visit the Mattatoio, formerly an abattoir, now the University of Architecture and Music School

Local Products

Wine Cellars
A happy side effect of the pile of broken pottery that became Mount Testaccio was the discovery that the constantly cool temperature inside the hill was perfect for storing wine. This was such an important finding that the Comune of the time even ruled that they were bound for “pro conservatione vini et non aliud finem” (the storage of wine only) with the exception of number 16 Via di Monte Testaccio, which it was decreed could be used to store ‘salumi’ – salami and other types of cured meats.

Fresh Fish and Shoes
Today the market has some of the best fresh fish in Rome but you need to get there early to get the best catch of the day, as the best produce is gone by mid morning. You can also buy cheese, meat, vegetables and if you come on a Saturday morning, it is almost obligatory to buy a pair of shoes from the many specialist stalls as the perfect accompaniment to your lunchtime menu.

Spotlight on: The Pyramid

Not far from the market, stands Rome's only pyramid, the incongruous tomb of Caius Cestius, a wealthy Roman magistrate. Originally part of the Aurelian Wall, it now stands slightly at odds with its surroundings which have long since changed, its marble facade badly marked with pollution. However just behind the Pyramid is one of Rome's truly hidden gems, the Protestant Cemetery.
The long term residents of this peaceful haven started to arrive in 1738, mainly of English and German nationality. Several illustrious names can be found amongst the numerous headstones and family vaults watched over by a colony of protected cats and the towering trees, or ‘alberi pizzuti’ which are famed as being the last thing that many may see in Rome. The gardens full of shady area and flowers, and although it may seem strange, it is a perfect place to sit and read a book, away from the chaos of the centre.
Shelley who wrote that the cemetery might “make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place” . He got his wish and now keeps company with fellow poet Keats, Antonio Gramsci, a founding father of European Communism, the son of Goethe and St Trinians actress, Belinda Lee. A fascinating combination if only they could be gathered around the same dinner table.

How to get there

Testaccio is not far from the centre of Rome. Take the Metro B Line to Piramide, or alternatively the 716 or 30 bus from Teatro Marcello, just off Piazza Venezia. Alternatively it is about a ten minute walk from Circo Massimo.