Last month we began an exploration of Testaccio, the main Roman neighborhood by our managed accommodation on Via Annia Faustina. This area of the city is known by international travelers as the place where most food tours happen, as well as a clubbing destination.

What most visitors ignore is the sheer amount of historic landmarks and sights in the district, so while last month we focused on Roman pyramids, ancient cemeteries and modern architecture, this time around we’ll delve even deeper into the secrets of Testaccio.

Honoring the victims of WWII

Our first part of this walking tour stopped right outside the plaques in remembrance of the first partisans who fought back against the Nazis during World War II. From there, walk along the Roman walls to the south-west and on a Viale del Campo Boario: you’ll reach a roundabout. Take a right and pass through an arch in the walls.

To your left (the street name is Via Nicola Zabaglia) is the Rome War Cemetery, with the remains of 426 soldiers from the Commonwealth area. A beautifully preserved area, it’s very small in comparison to other more famous war cemeteries around Italy and the Lazio region particularly, and it’s only open from Mondays to Fridays from 8AM to 3PM. A number of other military tombs are in the Non-Catholic Cemetery, which we discussed in the first half of this walking tour.

A hill made of jars

Romans like to joke that there are more than seven hills in Rome, what with the expanding geography of the city. So the Pincio hill could be the eighth, the Janiculum the ninth, Monteverde the tenth and so on and so forth.

None of these additions is as peculiar as Monte Testaccio (literally translated as “Testaccio Mountain”), because this is the only hill in the city to be completely artificial. It is made of broken jars, as a matter of fact, but you can only see that once you get close to it.

Looking at it from afar (say, from the entrance of the War Cemetery, looking roughly to the west) it only looks like any other hill, covered in trees and bushes, a bit at odds with the densely built area which surrounds it. Walk closer to it, though, maybe heading west down Via di Monte Testaccio, which runs around it and you’ll start seeing the pieces of clay, neatly stacked one on top of the other, that make the hill itself!

Why is that?

In ancient Rome, the port was not far from here and it was not uncommon to find broken amphorae in the ships that docked on the river Tiber. Monte Testaccio was born as a city dump of sorts, where amphorae could be recycled and turned into newly usable jars. The clay from which the pots were made proved to be a formidable environment for greenery, so over the millennia the landfill has become a… park.

Today the hill doesn’t have a free access, as to preserve the precious structure from thieves and “extreme souvenir collectors”, but you can book a visit with the city of Rome. Or you can keep walking around it on Via di Monte Testaccio.

Fresh, delicious food everywhere you look

What the clay in the artificial hill was also good for? Preserving the freshness of food way before the invention of electricity!

This was particularly true for wine and meat, so this is what Testaccio, once the ancient Romans were long gone, began being known for. To this day, the base of the hill houses some of the area’s most well known restaurants, while opposite the Monte, on a Piazza Orazio Giustiniani you will no doubt notice what used to house the former slaughterhouse of Rome. Today the complex is part art gallery, part university, part organic grocery store… it’s hard to list all the activities that are done in the “Ex mattatoio” (which include vinyl fairs, car boot sales and concerts!).

Speaking of fresh food, a modern white building contrasts with the looks of the former slaughterhouse: it’s the world-famous Testaccio food market, open daily (except on Sundays) until 2PM. Imagine it as a sort of mall where butchers, grocers and fishmongers stand side by side with clothing shops, shoemakers, cafes and many, many food stalls selling fresh pasta, delicious sandwiches and more! A must visit when in Testaccio, most food tours gravitate around this place.

And there you have it: these are the basics for visiting Testaccio. In the neighborhood that lies beyond the food market you will be able to find many more shops, cafes, restaurants and more activities, from cinemas to theatres, from bookstores to art galleries. And don’t be fooled by the appearance of the buildings – the somewhat rough exterior hides some of Rome’s most exclusive houses and apartments!

If you feel like a free walking tour is not enough and you’d like to know more, know that we are proud to call some of Rome’s most authoritative tour guides our partners: Chiara from Born and Bred in Rome and the girls and guys at Joy of Rome. And if they’re all booked up for the dates you have available, feel free to explore Viator for more options (although we particularly like this one tour, centered around food of course!).