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The Testaccio district has an ancient story to tell those who visit it. A story that stems from a mountain of amphorae thrown away after use, as we shall see, and that has become an identity of local pride.
A lively district, full of ferment: from art exhibitions to street art and from ancient monuments, even a Pyramid, to 20th century rationalist architecture.
So, from an old open-air dump to a modern treasure trove of art, architecture, culture and international lifestyle.
Amphorae that could only be used once because of the hygienic regulations of the time and were deposited there to form an artificial mound, Monte Testaccio.
The highest in Rome, with a perimeter of one kilometer, and consisting of an estimated 50 million amphorae piled up.
The caves carved out of this mound, over time, have been transformed from warehouses, naturally cool and ventilated, to fashionable little places that are still popular today or even into dwellings.
Throughout the medieval, modern and much of the contemporary era, Testaccio was always associated with other districts of a more solid structure, as it remained sparsely populated. At the time, it was mainly a large area of fields and meadows used for public grazing.
It was a place of transit for pilgrims on their way to the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. Testaccio was one of the last quarters to be established in Rome, together with the neighbouring San Saba and the famous Prati di Castello. This district later lost its reference to Castel Sant’Angelo in common parlance, remaining known simply as Prati.
Only in 1921 did the district gain its own dignity as a rione, becoming the 20th rione of Rome. It should therefore come as no surprise that the oldest mention of ‘Testacio’, found in a marble inscription inside Santa Maria in Cosmedin (dating back to the 8th century), uses the name to refer to some vineyards in that area.
Sustained between the late 1800s and 1975 by the presence of the Slaughterhouse where meat was processed for the entire city, today this passion is preserved by the picturesque municipal market.
A populated trading and meeting center that continues to offer zero-mile products and typical Roman dishes.
Triumphant among these are recipes for the so-called “quinto quarto” (fifth quarter) the innards of slaughtered animals of which nothing is discarded.
Testaccio is rich in civic and religious architecture: the former slaughterhouse has become a contemporary art museum (Macro), with a famous popular music school attached.
The fire station on Via Marmorata is a fine example of 1930s architecture, as is the former Centrale Montemartini, now used as an art museum, of industrial archaeology.
Piazzale Ostiense is home to the vintage sea train station, Porta San Paolo, which commemorates the battles of World War II, and the Cestia Pyramid built between 12 and 8 B.C.
On the subject of ancient relics, some remains of the Emporium, the river port, and the Horrea Galbana annonary warehouses testify to the ancient mercantile character of the area. The two cemeteries, the Non-Catholic and Commonwealth cemeteries, are still much visited today.
The early 20th century Church of St. Mary Liberator, desired by Mayor Nathan to promote the neighborhood, is the local landmark parish.
Testaccio is Romanist in its DNA. Founded in 1927, the Giallorossi (yellow-red) team played its home matches there from 1929 to 1940. Capable of seating twenty thousand spectators it had four wooden stands that became the nightmare of opposing teams.
This happened when fans began to rattle its floorboards, simulating an ominous rumble. For many years, the area’s housing market stood still, a sign of the residents’ attachment to their neighborhood.
Those citizens who were no longer just Romans but also immigrants from the rest of Italy and the world who, however, could not help but fall in love with the virtues and vices of this authentic corner of the city.
