Supplemental Information on the Testaccio Neighborhood
This is a follow up post to Roman Restaurant-Checchino dal 1887, so I encourage you to read it first.
The ancient ‘trash heap’ inside the restaurant Checchino dal 1887
The legacy of the restaurant, Checchino dal 1887, found in the Testaccio neighborhood, is in the name. It is not uncommon to include a ‘dal’ (from) plus a year in the name of Italian restaurants, especially if the year dates to over a century ago. However, the history of the neighborhood stretches back two millennia. Much of Testaccio centers around what is known as Monte Testaccio. This ‘mountain’ is not naturally occurring but rather an enormous manmade pile of ancient amphorae (Roman jars) that date back to the glory days of the Roman Empire. The amphorae are not whole but rather broken down into cocci (shards or pieces) which led to another name for the mountain which is the Monte dei Cocci. Sometimes you will hear the mountain referred to as a Roman ‘trash heap’ or ‘garbage dump’ but these nomenclatures suggest that the mountain was created rather haphazardly, which is not the case. Jars were carefully cut and layered into terraces which you can observe from points around the area (and inside of restaurants and bars). According to Atlas Obscura, there are as many as “80 million pots which now stands 115 feet high, with another 45 feet under the modern street level.” The Monte Testaccio also details the trading history of the ancient Romans as these amphorae were filled with oil and imported from far corners of the empire (Spain, Libya and Tunisia) then ‘disposed of’ here. Many of the amphorae date to 140-250 CE and scholars believe that others are older still. (Many of the jars are subterranean now, 45 feet under the modern street level.) As the Roman Empire reached its greatest point of expansion under Emperor Trajan (emperor 98-117 CE), trade was still in full swing throughout the empire at this point; although historians point out that after 117 CE the efficacy started to wane. Regarding the origin of the name, Testaccio, the amphorae could also be called ‘testae’ in latin, as they were terracotta jars and pots; hence, although the rione (zone) was only declared official in 1921, the name harks back to ancient history. The convergence of ancient and contemporary history is that many restaurants and clubs are built into the side of the mountain and thus contain the wall of amphorae.
To give an idea of where the Ponte Sublicio is located along the Tevere
The area of Testaccio has much more to offer and I encourage you to explore and make discoveries. It is a very nice area for a stroll either before or after your fabulous meal at Checchino or one of the other restaurants I cited. If you cross over to Testaccio from the left bank of the Tiber, I encourage you to take (or at least take note of) the Ponte Sublicio.
It is the site of an important episode in Roman history, that I believe many tourists and even some native Romans are unaware of while crossing the seemingly modern ponte. First, it is said to be the earliest known bridge in ancient Rome. It also plays a prominent role in a legend told and retold by Roman authors including Livy (one of the most prominent ancient Roman historians). The legend involves a Roman officer in the army of the early Roman republic named Publius Horatius Cocles. You may or may not know that Rome was a monarchy before it was a republic. There were seven (official) kings of Rome and the last was named Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. Known as Tarquin the proud, he was an Etruscan and after being overthrown in 509 BCE, he did not want to accept defeat. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus appealed to another Etruscan king, Lars Porsena, who waged war against Rome. Lars Porsena led his army to attack Rome through the modern area of Trastevere, arriving at the Ponte Sublicio, which would led him into what was ‘Rome’ at the time. This is where Horatius is said to have heroically defended the bridge from invaders; thus defending the newly formed Roman Republic. In many tellings there are two other Romans who help Horatius, named Spurius Lartius and Titus Herminius Aquilinus. Horatius emerges as the true hero, holding his ground on the bridge while Roman soldiers caused it to collapse. Although bleeding, Horatius plummeted into the Tiber, but swam to the Roman shores. This episode was made famous in the Victorian era by Thomas Babington Macaulay who retold the event in all its melodrama in his 1842 book of narrative poems, Lays of Ancient Rome. I encourage you to muse on this epic story from over 2500 years ago as you cross into the Testaccio neighborhood.
Once you cross the tevere, head inward towards pizzeria Da Remo and then let yourself wander until you reach the Cimiterio Acattolica. This is one of my favorite spots in all of Rome, which should not be surprising as two of the second-generation Romantic poets, John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, are buried here. I have had the opportunity to take high school students on a field trip here. Each year the weather threatens rain and instead delights us with clear blue skies. A perfect contradiction for the solemn place that Oscar Wilde ironically declared as ‘the holiest place in Rome.’
Cheesy Karaoke on a TV screen in front of discarded jars that date to the 1st century CE. Where else can you have this ‘club’ experience?
I would be remiss if I did not mention another aspect of the Rione Testaccio, that is, ‘da club scene.’ Two of the Testaccio intuitions that I have recommended Checchino and Flavio al Velavevodetto (read a great post on the risto, written by Molly, a blogger and friend) are located in the midst of this scene, the only true area for ‘nightlife’ in Rome. Now, you will find bouncers with lists and lines outside the door, but for some reason, it is especially hard for me to take this area seriously. That is not to say I have not had some fun nights out over the years in this area. The most incredible thing, however, is the ability to connect this 21st century phenomenon of ‘trashy’ clubbing with the original ‘trash heap’ that the venues are built into. All of the clubs are literally built into the Monte Testaccio . Thus, on a night out, not that long ago, in a rather deserted karaoke club with neon pink lighting, we drank, danced and sang to pop songs with the rejected amphorae stacked into an artificial but ancient mountain as our backdrop.
I recommend this place with hesitation; in the sense that you must be in the right ‘state’ to enjoy it.