Roman Hoods: Testaccio

Testaccio is a working class quarter that was turned into a night-club. It has its moments, but personally I think it is a bit overrated. Although I have to say that it is a pretty crazy Roman combination of an antique pile of rubbish, an ex-harbor, an ex-slautherhouse turned arty hipster place, a beautiful graveyard and (brace yourself) even a real pyramide!!

Where do we start? Well, with the oldes element of this strange Roman urban cocktail: the antique mountain of trash called monte dei cocci or monte Testaccio. The word come from the Latin word testae which means shards. Where did thoso shards come from? And how was it possible that they today form a hill of circumference of 1000 meters and a depth of 45 meters? These shards come form about 45 million broken terracotta amphorae. They came form all over the Roman empire and had been filled with wheat, oil and wine. They arrived at the habour on the Tiber and when they were empty had been simply thrown on the same pile until the end of the 4th century after Christ.  How freaking crazy is that?! Archologist can still find out where some of the amphrae came from, because their had inscriptions. Later people dug some cellar rooms into the hill because that way they could keep wine and other food nice and fresh. These weird holes have been turned into nightclubs today. Also pretty crazy, if you think about it.

 


 

Then there is the pyramide. It has been built by the rich Roman Gaius Cestius Epolu. He had died in 12 b.C. and at that time having a tomb in form of a pyramide was the most prestigious fashion and status statement. Thanks, Gaius! Still looks really cool today.

Right next to this over-the-top tombstone lies the non-catholic cemetry of Rome. This was needed whenever some strange non-catholic, often tragic person happend to day in Rome and they did not have the right to rest in a catholic graveyard. Here you will find very beautiful and touching tombstone of celebrities like the romantic poets Keats and Shelley or the son of Goethe.

But also simple heart-breaking graves of little kids.

Nowhere else is death so beautiful and romantique.
I can even make you forget how miserably poor young John Keats perished of pneumonia in Rome. Today he is a rockstar and idol. There is a wonderful movie about him. The place where he had lived in Rome is a museum: The Keats-Shelley House just at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.

Next the slaughterhouse. I guess it was built there at the Tiber because access to water is very important for a slaughterhouse. This one was opend in 1888 because the old one at Piazza del Popolo had become to small and old.

At the rather monumental entrance to the mattatoio we can see a sculptur of a winged creater that is capturing a bull. Who said slautherhouses could not be stylish? In 1976 the palce was outdated again and was moved farther out. Today you will find temporary exhibitions of the MACRO - the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea there. The whole area is pretty wast and there is also a rather stylish restaurant (Stazione di Posta), the hipster community center/farmers market Città dell'Altra Economia and music festivalsin the summer.

So in conclusion: Testaccio is worth a visite. I mean where else can you get this weird kind urbanistic mix? I tried the night clubs and was not amused. Too young, too touristy. I will go back there for a nice plate of Cacio e Pepe at the famous restaurant Felice.