Totally Rome
Testaccio — neighbourhood guide
Rome's real food neighbourhood — a former slaughterhouse district that became the city's culinary heart.
What Testaccio is
A working-class neighbourhood built around Rome's former municipal slaughterhouse (Mattatoio), Testaccio has the strongest claim of any Rome neighbourhood to being the birthplace of the city's culinary identity — the quinto quarto (offal) tradition developed here specifically because slaughterhouse workers were partly paid in the cuts nobody else wanted.
What to see
Mercato Testaccio is one of Rome's best food markets — modern, covered, with excellent counter-service food stalls. Monte Testaccio, an artificial hill made from millions of broken Roman amphorae, sits at the neighbourhood's southern edge with nightclubs built into its base. The Protestant Cemetery and the Pyramid of Cestius are a short walk away.
Where to eat
This is the neighbourhood to eat Roman classics — coda alla vaccinara, trippa, the four pastas — cooked by people whose families have been serving them for generations. Prices are reasonable, the crowd is more local than tourist, and the quality bar is simply higher than most of the historic centre.
Nightlife
The clubs and bars built into the base of Monte Testaccio form Rome's main late-night strip — the neighbourhood's identity extends from serious food by day to serious nightlife after midnight.
