Testaccio neighborhood has always been, together with Trastevere, one of the hearts of Roman working-class districts.

The name itself stresses the pivotal role played by this area since the Roman period: it was filled with warehouses, where food (together with other goods) was stored in order to support the huge Empire capital: a million inhabitants town.

During centuries of history the amount of oil, wine and food pottery containers (testaceum), piled up after being broken, was such to create an artificial mountain…

Monte Testaccio indeed! Since the beginning of the ‘900 the history of this neighborhood was again strictly tied to food: here the Mercato Testaccio opened in 1935 in Piazza Testaccio.

Nowadays, newly reopened, is one of the most famous market in town: fresh goods to buy and typical roman finger food to eat. Though Testaccio is more than that, it also witnesses history of food: the old slaughterhouse has recently being turned into MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art Rome) thanks to a precious and rare intervention of industrial archaeology.

Moreover, Testaccio remains a slice of roman life, being a real “neighborhood”, where people still know each other, stop on the street to talk with friends, enjoy food together.

A food-tour in Testaccio is the perfect way not only to have a glimpse of everyday life but also to discover the history and the stories of Roman traditional cooking art.

Our walk will lead you not only the Market but also to discover old and new shops selling every type of delicacies: Cheese, Salumi, Supplì (you’re going to discover what they are!), Pizza, Gelato and more. A tour of mouth watering!!!