Testaccio market to Monte dei Cocci and the Ostiense gasometer: a walk in Rome

Lunch in the Testaccio market, then the amphora fountain, the hill made of ancient broken jars, the 1888 slaughterhouse that supplied the capital's meat, the pyramid and cemetery at Porta San Paolo, the power-station museum and the 1937 gasometer on Via Ostiense.

Best time: Weekday morning, from about 10:00 when the market counters are cooking, ending at the gasometer in late-afternoon light

The route, stop by stop

1
Mordi e Vai
Box 15 in the market: panini filled with Roman braises and offal, such as beef brisket (allesso di scottona) and tripe. 30 min.
Market stall selling panini filled with Roman offal and braises, such as beef brisket (allesso di scottona) and tripe.
2
Fontana delle Anfore, Piazza Testaccio
Pietro Lombardi's 1927 travertine fountain of stacked amphorae, the symbol of the rione. It was moved away in 1935 because of subsidence and returned to the square, where the old market used to stand, on 24 January 2015. 5 min.
3
Checchino dal 1887
An artificial hill 35 m high made of the shards of about 53 million discarded amphorae. Checchino dal 1887, where many quinto quarto dishes were codified, is at its foot on Via di Monte Testaccio, with its wine cellar dug into the hill. 15 min.
Historic restaurant opposite the former slaughterhouse, where many quinto quarto dishes such as coda alla vaccinara were codified; wine cellar dug into Monte Testaccio.
4
Ex Mattatoio
Gioacchino Ersoch's 1888 slaughterhouse at the foot of the hill, which supplied Rome's meat. Its pavilions now house a university faculty, a music school and exhibition spaces. 15 min.
5
Non-Catholic Cemetery
Keats, Shelley and Gramsci are buried in this shaded cemetery under the Pyramid of Cestius, home to a colony of cats; Romans come for the quiet. 20 min.
Shaded cemetery under the Pyramid of Cestius where Keats, Shelley and Gramsci are buried, with a resident colony of cats. Romans come here for quiet.
6
Pyramid of Cestius
Tomb of Gaius Cestius, built into the Aurelian Wall at the fork of the ancient Via Ostiensis; among the best-preserved buildings of ancient Rome. 5 min.
An ancient Roman tomb built in the style of the Nubian pyramids for Gaius Cestius, standing at the fork of the Via Ostiensis by Porta San Paolo and the Non-Catholic Cemetery.
7
Centrale Montemartini
South along Via Ostiense: ancient statues in a former power station. 60 min if you go in.
Classical statues from the Capitoline collections set among the diesel engines and turbines of Rome's first power station. Locals love it for the contrast; tourists rarely leave…
8
Gazometro
The 89 m steel gasholder built by Ansaldo in 1935-37 (inaugurated 13 July 1937), once Italy's largest. 10 min.

Walking directions

Testaccio market to Monte dei Cocci and the Ostiense gasometer

The route, stop by stop

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