The Rome IndexMonte Testaccio
A hill made entirely from broken Roman pottery — and the clubs underneath it.
What it is
Monte Testaccio is an artificial hill about 35 metres high in the Testaccio neighbourhood, composed almost entirely of broken Roman amphorae — the terracotta vessels used to ship olive oil from North Africa. When the containers arrived at the riverside port, they were smashed, stacked, and over centuries formed this improbable mound.
Why it matters
At its peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, Rome was importing around 70 million litres of olive oil annually — and Monte Testaccio is the physical accumulation of that trade. An estimated 53 million amphora fragments are packed into the hill.
Today
The base of the hill is honeycombed with caves carved into the compacted ceramic — originally used as cool storage for wine and food. Today they house a string of nightclubs and bars that form Rome's main late-night strip. The hill itself is open for occasional guided tours bookable through the city.