Once an important port that supplied ancient Rome with food, off-the-beaten-path Testaccio remains the city’s favorite culinary destination.

On a warm Saturday evening last fall in Rome, I took two friends and first-time visitors, Boba and Smiljana, to Testaccio, a neighborhood centrally located on the left bank of the Tiber. We went to a party is held twice a month at Testaccio Market (Testaccio Market), when stalls stay open late and offer classic Roman dishes like Cacio and Pepe, carbonara And provided (fried risotto balls) – accompanied by wine, beer and music.

Although visiting the market isn’t part of a typical traveler’s itinerary, Boba and Smiljana loved the detour. “Who needs a tourist trap meal near the Colosseum when you can eat this?” » said Boba, happily sinking his teeth into porchetta (slow-roasted stuffed pork) sandwiches – a classic Roman street food.

From Grand Tour tourists to religious pilgrims, Rome has always attracted visitors. But like 35 million tourists now flock to the Italian capital every year, the city recently considered limit access to some of its most famous sites in a bid to curb its growth overtourism problem.

While parts of Rome may feel like a historical theme park, Testaccio offers a refreshing insight into modern Roman life. You won’t find crowds of tourists or reenactors dressed as gladiators here. Instead, Romans from all over the city flock here to buy ingredients, chat with vendors – often in Roman dialect – and bite into what has always been one of the city’s favorite gastronomic destinations.

Since then, I have returned to the Testaccio market several times – not only to white pizza (plain and sparkling pizza dough sprinkled with salt) and vegan snacksbut also for the rich cultural heritage that shines through – and even beneath – the market.

Rome is built on layers of history, stacked on top of each other like a lasagna of eras. The Testaccio market bears witness to this. The ground floor houses a modern market, the first floor has exhibits showcasing Testaccio’s role as the cuisine of ancient Rome for 2,000 years, and below is one of the most important archaeological treasures unique in Rome: a cemetery of amphorae from the 1st to the 3rd century. CE where containers containing ancient ingredients are still buried.

“The Tiber was the true entrance to the city of Rome in ancient times,” said archaeologist Luca Mocchegiani Carpano, who directs free visits of the site below the market halls during its gourmet evenings.

Mocchegiani Carpano explained that where Testaccio stands today, the ancient Romans built the Malla port that brought goods from all over the Mediterranean. Established around 193 BCE, the Emporium was Rome’s largest inland port and it was where goods such as olive oil, wine and fish arrived and were sold, subsidized or given free to the Ordinary Romans. During the 1st century CE, under the emperors Claudius and Trajan, the area became a thriving commercial center to feed the city’s growing population.

In ancient Rome, sauces, oils and many food products were transported amphorae – a kind of terracotta pot. These jars were stacked on ships and sealed to preserve their contents during long voyages. Once emptied, the amphorae were recycled within the walls of the port complex under the current Testaccio market or broken and thrown away. These broken and discarded vessels eventually formed a 35 m high hill of broken pottery, known as the Mount Testaccio or “Monte dei Cocci” (literally: “Mountain of Shards”), which stands in the heart of the current Testaccio district. In fact, the name “Testaccio” comes from the Latin word testicleswhich means “shard”.

After the fall of ancient Rome in 476 CE, the Testaccio region was largely abandoned and used as agricultural land. At the foot of Monte Testaccio, the Romans carved caves into the hill structure. Known as caves (small cellars), these spaces were used to store wine and other goods. The porous fragments of amphorae that make up the hill helped maintain naturally cool and stable temperatures, ideal for preserving stored items, and Testaccio became Rome’s de facto closet. Today, these caves are home to numerous restaurants, some of which feature ancient amphorae embedded in their walls, making dining an immersive historical experience.

Testaccio’s unique culinary heritage is perhaps best captured at the well-known restaurant Checchino dal 1887which was originally created to serve the neighborhood’s growing working-class community. In the late 19th century, the industrial development of Rome and the opening of a nearby slaughterhouse, known as Mattatoioattracted an influx of workers to Testaccio. Using leftover ingredients provided by slaughterhouse workers, the Romans began to process humble ingredients like offal (called “fifth trimester“) in the tasty dishes of poor cuisine – The “poor people’s kitchen” of Rome.

One of these dishes is code for vaccination (oxtail stew), which is Checchino’s signature. Since the recipe was created using leftover meat from the slaughterhouse, it still relies on what is widely considered to be leftovers. Poor in price but rich in taste, oxtail stew has since become one of the most emblematic dishes of Rome and is now offered on menus across the city.

Over time, Checchino has grown from a simple restaurant to a fine dining establishment, winning prestigious awards, including one Michelin star in 1991 and a place on List of the 50 best restaurants in the world in 2003. Despite its success, this family restaurant has retained its simple and rustic setting at the foot of Monte Testaccio. It also offers a “historical menu” Roman cucina povera dishes originating from the neighborhood, such as zampi insalata (a salad made from boneless calf’s trotters), bucatini with grisaille (a pasta dish made from dried pork jowl) and cicoria di campo saltata (endive sautéed with garlic and chili).

Da Oio, Felice, Perilli in Testaccio And Pecorino There are other family restaurants in Testaccio that have preserved the authentic recipes of the popular cucina povera dishes that have since become synonymous with modern Roman cuisine. Adventurous eaters shouldn’t leave Testaccio without trying coratelle (lamb offal cooked with vegetables such as artichokes), Roman trippa (beef tripe with pecorino and mint) or rigatoni with pajamas (pasta with a sauce made from milk-fed calf intestines).

Today, the former slaughterhouse is a sustainability-focused cultural center named City of the Other Economy (CAE) (The City of Alternative Economy). Beyond its concerts, film screenings and other cultural programs, CAE hosts a variety of food festivals. One of them, the Greater Rome Festival celebrates the city’s rich culinary heritage while cleverly playing on two meanings: in Latin, magna means “large”, while in Roman dialect, magna means “to eat”.

The CAE also houses the Collettivo Gastronomico Testaccioa restaurant founded by local chefs who use local ingredients to create traditional Roman dishes like pici and baccalà (thick pasta rolled by hand, accompanied by baccalàsalted cod) and amateur (pasta with pork cheek, tomato sauce and Pecorino Romano cheese) with a modern touch.

Despite its status as one of the last “Roman” neighborhoods of Rome, Testaccio has not been immune to the gentrification and touristification that other parts of the city have experienced. Over the past few decades, the neighborhood has gradually evolved from a working-class neighborhood to a more upscale neighborhood for artists, actors and young professionals. More recently it has become increasingly popular with tourists, with many Airbnbs, English menu restaurants and food tours showcasing Testaccio’s Roman restaurants and market popping up.

In May this year, when McDonald’s opened a restaurant in the Testaccio Market building, local media called it “an affront to the heart of romanity“, the authentic spirit of Rome.

Marina Minucci, translator, has lived in Testaccio for two decades. “The changes started before I moved to Testaccio. But fortunately there is still a good balance between new residents and old residents, the so-called Testaccini,” she said.

For Minucci, the real charm of life in Testaccio lies in its people, who drew her to the Solidale Acquisto Group Testaccio Meticcio (GAS), a group that purchases organic and sustainably produced food directly from local farmers. On Thursday evenings, Minucci and his fellow GAS members meet just steps from Monte Testaccio to pick up their fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy and meats that the farmers bring into town by car.

In some ways, the group’s gatherings reflect the region’s historic role in food distribution transformed into a sustainable community initiative. Their shared love of food also fostered lasting friendships and large joint dinners at local restaurants. Minucci says their next gathering is fast approaching: a Christmas dinner, where they’ll enjoy traditional Roman dishes native to Testaccio and raise a glass to the year to come.