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Testaccio was traditionally a working class area but in recent years has become fashionable due to its excellent location close to many historic monuments and being just across the river from Trastevere. So here are a few things to do and see in the area:
The Pyramid
Standing 90 feet tall, Rome's pyramid was built in 12 B.C. as a tomb for the Roman Gaius Cestius. Later the pyramid was incorporated into Rome's city wall
Testaccio Market
Lined with butchers, grocers and fishmongers, the whole central area is given over to fruit and vegetables. Very popular with local residents, it offers super-fresh, high-quality produce and reasonable prices.
Testaccio is still first and foremost a wonderful pace to enjoy great local Roman cuisine. It is a lively area full of restaurants, delicatessens and one of the best food markets in the city. Here are a some of our favorite places to eat and dishes to try:
Checchino dal 1887
Via di Monte Testaccio 30
Romans have been flocking to Checchino dal 1887 since the early 19th century for fun and hearty food. With a bountiful array of wine and foodstuffs, every meal seems like a party. The tables are packed nightly, and the place is a local legend. You'll have fun while still enjoying some of the best cuisine in town.
Trattoria Da “Oio” a Casa Mia
Via Galvani, 43-45
This small restaurant, only a few blocks from the marvellous Testaccio food market, is a fine, if not famous place to eat the “fifth quarter” specialties. What I will always return for, however, is the fabulously rich spaghetti alla carbonara. It’s a hard choice, though: Also excellent are the tonnarelli cacio e pepe – thick, spaghetti-length pasta with pecorino and pepper, the rigatoni all’Amatriciana, and, for those who do, indeed, like offal, the rigatoni with pajata -- intestines. They are not nearly as funky as you would imagine, or perhaps even wish they were. A very stylish crowd has discovered this small, unprepossessing trattoria, and they dote, too, on the roast baby lamb, the Roman-style chicken alla cacciatora, which is chicken braised with rosemary and white wine and no tomatoes (I highly recommend it), and the excellent straccetti, paper thin slices of beef very quickly sautéed and served with wild rucola (arugula) salad. Though the menu offers English translations, the “in” crowd is totally Italian. By the way, “Oio” is the nickname of the chef/owner. He’s big man, so he’s called Olly, after Oliver Hardy. He pops out of his small kitchen once in a while, to greet regulars and friends. It is his fabulously brassy wife who runs the dining room with skill.
Felice
Via Mastro Giorgio 29
Traditional Roman-style trattoria - the owner might be a bit on the grumpy side but the food is delicious and home made.
Remo
Piazza Santa Matria Liberatrice 44
The best place in town for Pizza Romana - and it's in Testaccio, the city's hottest night spot, so you can bar-hop afterwards.
Oasis della Berra
Piazza ??
The ‘Oasis of Beer’ has over 500 brews on offer, including beers from award-winning Italian micro-breweries. The selection of wines by the bottle is almost as impressive. Food ranges from snacks (crostini, bruschette, a well-stocked cheese board) to full-scale meals with a Teutonic slant.
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