If you really want to go off the usual tourist path and discover the finest hidden gems of Rome, the Testaccio neighborhood is where you should go. The highlights of Testaccio are quite unusual: a Pyramid, ancient Roman ruins popping out the market and the apartment buildings, a slaughterhouse .. and a whole hill made of Terracotta!
The name “Testaccio” comes from the latin testae, which means earthenware. In short, the Romans had to get rid of the millions of anphoras (urns) that were used to import wine and oil into the city, so they made them into fragments and piled them in a tidy manner. This continued to the point that the pile of terracotta fragments became a hill, which today is called Monte Testaccio.
Later on during the centuries, the Romans made caves inside the hill and opened cellars, then restaurants. And this is the very place where some of the most traditional Roman dishes where born, such as the Coda alla Vaccinara and the Pasta con la Pajata!
Here’s a closer look at the endless layers of broken pottery that make up this unusual hill.
See the video transcript
When you see this pyramid in Rome, walk this way. You’re about to see something mind-blowing. Walk along the ancient Roman defensive walls, and then turn right to Via Zabaia. Walk until you find this gate. This is open only a few days per year.You’re now walking uphill, and all of a sudden you notice these terracotta fragments everywhere. What’s going on? This hill is entirely made of fragments of ancient Roman amphoras. But why? The ancient Romans used to import olive oil in terracotta amphoras. These amphoras could not be reused because they were soaked with olive oil. So they stacked them here piece by piece, and after four centuries and 250 million amphoras, this became a hill.
📍You’ll find it in via di Monte Testaccio
Want to discover more gems of Rome?
Take a look at our small-group walking tours. On these tours you explore Rome’s iconic sights and lots of unexpected wonders you might miss otherwise, always in intimate groups of no more than 12 people.
Our tours are not packed, not rushed, and not stuck in tourist spots — because this is how we’d show Rome to a close friend. You can learn more about how our Rome tours work or the best Rome tours.
