# Testaccio, Rome > Testaccio is an old working-class quarter by the Tiber that people visit for the food. It has a covered market full of street food, trattorias serving classic Roman cooking and the extraordinary Monte Testaccio, a hill built from the shards of some 50 million ancient amphorae. It's free and little-touristed; allow 2–3 hours with lunch, and take Metro B to Piramide. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/testaccio - City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy - YesGo score: 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h - Opening hours: District always open; market usually Mon–Sat, morning to mid-afternoon - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — it's a city neighbourhood - Testaccio Market: Usually Mon–Sat, morning to ≈ 15:00 - Monte Testaccio: The amphora hill — tours by booking - Food: Roman classics: carbonara, cacio e pepe, oxtail stew, tripe - Time needed: 2–3 hours with lunch - Location: South of the Aventine; Metro B Piramide, 5–10 minutes - Coordinates: 41.87611, 12.47500 - Facts checked: 10.11.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 53 million** — amphorae make up Monte Testaccio (source: English Wikipedia) - **≈ 35 m** — height of the shard hill (source: English Wikipedia) - **1st–3rd centuries** — broken olive-oil jars were dumped here (source: English Wikipedia) - **Testae** — Latin for 'potsherds' — the origin of the name (source: English Wikipedia) - **2012** — the new covered Testaccio Market opened (source: Turismo Roma) ## Testaccio Market and Roman food The covered **Testaccio Market** moved into a new building in 2012. Romans shop here for vegetables, cheese and meat, and between the stalls you'll find **street food**: braised-beef sandwiches, supplì, pizza and pasta to go — one of the best cheap lunches in Rome. Testaccio is considered the **birthplace of Roman 'fifth-quarter' cooking** — dishes made from the cuts left after butchering at the old slaughterhouse: **oxtail stew** (*coda alla vaccinara*), **tripe** and more. Alongside are the classics — **carbonara**, **cacio e pepe**, **amatriciana** and artichokes — in some of the most authentic trattorias in the city. ## About the neighbourhood **Testaccio** lies on the left bank of the Tiber south of the Aventine. In ancient times it was Rome's **river port**, where barges unloaded grain, wine and olive oil from across the empire beside vast warehouses. In the 19th and 20th centuries it filled with workers' housing and the **city slaughterhouse**, becoming a district of butchers, dockers and craftsmen. Today it's a lively, deeply Roman quarter with few tourists: families, markets, bars and trattorias. The name comes from the Latin *testae*, 'potsherds' — a direct reference to its most famous sight. ## Monte Testaccio, the hill of pots **Monte Testaccio** is an artificial hill about **35 metres** high made entirely of fragments of some **53 million amphorae** — clay jars that carried **olive oil** to Rome in the 1st–3rd centuries, mostly from Spain. Oil jars couldn't be reused, so they were smashed and stacked here in neat layers sprinkled with lime. It's one of antiquity's biggest rubbish heaps and a priceless archive: many shards still bear stamps naming merchants and dates. You can climb it only on a **booked guided tour**; at its foot, restaurants and clubs built into caves in the slope show walls of shards. ## What to see in Testaccio - **Testaccio Market** — the covered market with street food. - **Monte Testaccio** — the hill of ancient amphora shards. - **Mattatoio** — the former slaughterhouse, now a cultural centre. - **Piazza Testaccio** — with its Amphora Fountain, the heart of the district. - **[Pyramid of Cestius](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pyramid-of-cestius)** — at the edge, by Piramide metro. - **Non-Catholic Cemetery** — a peaceful cypress garden beside the pyramid. - **Tiber embankment** — a walk to the bridge into Trastevere. > **A food tour** Testaccio is the classic setting for Rome food tours: in three hours a guide leads you through the market, bakeries, cheese shops and trattorias with tastings. Going solo? Start at the market at lunchtime, have coffee on Piazza Testaccio and finish with gelato on Via Marmorata. ## How to get to Testaccio 1. Metro line B to **Piramide**, then 5–10 minutes on foot. 2. Trams **3** and **8** stop on Via Marmorata. 3. From the [Aventine](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole), a 10–15-minute walk downhill. 4. From [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere), over Ponte Sublicio — 10 minutes. ## Is Testaccio worth it? Yes, if you love food and want to see everyday Rome: the best Roman cooking at normal prices, with hardly a tourist. The amphora hill is unique in the world. Combine it with the Pyramid of Cestius, the Aventine and [St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls). ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Arrive hungry at the market for lunch - [ ] Make sure it isn't Sunday — the market's closed - [ ] Book a tour of Monte Testaccio - [ ] Try oxtail stew or tripe - [ ] See the Pyramid of Cestius by the metro ## Rome's markets and neighbourhoods: compare and choose Markets and neighbourhoods in Rome rated by YesGo. - [Campo de' Fiori](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/campo-de-fiori) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Testaccio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/testaccio) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free ## Testaccio and Ostiense The Pyramid of Cestius by the metro, lunch at Testaccio Market, then St Paul Outside the Walls. 1. [Pyramid of Cestius](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pyramid-of-cestius) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free outside 2. [Testaccio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/testaccio) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free 3. [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free ## Don't mix it up Testaccio is the district; Monte Testaccio is the hill within it. Testaccio Market isn't Campo de' Fiori: Romans actually shop here, while Campo de' Fiori has turned touristy. ## Tips - Lunch at the market is cheap and delicious. - The market is closed on Sundays. - The amphora hill needs a booked tour. - Piramide metro is right by it. ## Questions ### What is Testaccio? An old working-class Rome district by the Tiber, known for its market, Roman cooking and a hill of ancient amphorae. ### When is Testaccio Market open? Usually Monday to Saturday, morning to mid-afternoon; closed Sunday. ### What is Monte Testaccio? An artificial hill about 35 m high made from roughly 53 million broken 1st–3rd-century amphorae. ### How do I get to Testaccio? Metro B to Piramide, then 5–10 minutes on foot. ### What should I eat in Testaccio? Oxtail stew, tripe, carbonara, cacio e pepe and the market's street food. ## How we checked District and hill history from English Wikipedia and Turismo Roma. Market hours and hill tours change — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Testaccio and Monte Testaccio - Turismo Roma: Mercato di Testaccio --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.