Testaccio Market

Testaccio is the Roman neighbourhood food lovers talk about, and its covered market is the place to start. The district grew up in the late nineteenth century as a working-class quarter around the city's slaughterhouse, and the offal dishes it inspired, oxtail stew, tripe and other cuts that the workers took home as part of their wages, became pillars of Roman cooking, the so-called quinto quarto. The neighbourhood still feels refreshingly local, with apartment blocks, children's playgrounds and old-school trattorias, and its market is where residents do their shopping. The current Mercato di Testaccio is a bright, modern covered square of stalls, opened in 2012 to replace the old open-air market in the main piazza. It is an everyday market first: greengrocers piled with seasonal artichokes, puntarelle and fruit, butchers, fishmongers, bakers, cheese stalls stacked with pecorino and ricotta, and shops selling cured meats, wine and dry goods. Alongside them is a line-up of street-food counters that has made the market famous among travellers: stalls known for hearty stuffed sandwiches filled with Roman classics such as braised meats, fried rice balls called supplì, pasta, pizza by the slice and fresh juices, all eaten standing up or at simple shared tables. The market also has a curiosity: during construction, builders uncovered ancient remains, and Turismo Roma notes that it is unusual in having an archaeological site beneath it, glimpsed through glass in places. Prices are local rather than touristy, and you can graze through lunch for very little. It is free to wander, and the best way to understand what Romans actually eat.

When to go: the market is a morning-to-lunchtime affair and is generally closed on Sundays; individual stalls keep their own hours, and some food counters stay open longer than the produce stalls, so check the market's current schedule before making a special trip. Late morning on a weekday, when shopping is in full swing and lunch counters fire up, is ideal. Saturday mornings are the busiest and most lively. Bring cash as a backup, though many stalls accept cards.

How to make the most of it: walk the whole market first to see what looks best, then build a grazing lunch. Pick a sandwich stall with a queue of locals, add supplì or pizza by the slice, and finish with fruit or a pastry. Ask stallholders for a taste of cheese or cured meat before buying, and pick up picnic supplies for the nearby Aventine or Villa Borghese. Food tours of Testaccio often start here and are a good way to try a lot in a short time, with a guide to explain the quinto quarto tradition.

Beyond the market: Testaccio deserves an afternoon or evening. Nearby is Monte Testaccio, an artificial hill built entirely from broken Roman amphorae, the old slaughterhouse complex, now a cultural centre, and the Non-Catholic Cemetery beside the Pyramid of Cestius, where Keats and Shelley are buried. In the evening, the neighbourhood's trattorias serve some of the best traditional Roman cooking in the city, from cacio e pepe to oxtail. Testaccio is easy to reach from Piramide Metro, and it pairs naturally with the Aventine Hill above and with Ostia Antica, whose train leaves from next door.