2Testaccio

Testaccio may not be Rome’s prettiest neighbourhood, but its rich history more than makes up for it. In antiquity, the district was home to the Emporium port, where the bulk of the Romans’ food supply funneled into the city.

Olive oil, grains, and other essential foodstuffs arrived in terracotta vessels called amphorae, and once emptied were disposed of in an outdoor dumpsite. The ancient Monte dei Cocci, or Monte Testaccio hill, composed of around 53 million broken amphorae, still looms today.