Testaccio and Trastevere
South of the river and away from the baroque razzmatazz are Rome’s most authentic neighbourhoods.
Postcard-pretty cobbled Trastevere has suffered somewhat from the influx of mass tourism, but it still has unadulterated pockets, especially on the quieter, less inhabited side by Piazza Santa Cecilia where bookshops double up as brunch stops and the air is thick with the mouth-watering scent of mamma’s ragu. The Trasteverini claim to be the real Romans, descended from 1st-century ad sailors, and you can witness this weather-worn tribe daily in full effect at the rambunctious Bar San Calisto.
In the days of Imperial Rome this area was mostly agricultural, with villas, gardens and vineyards for the delectation of the caesars. The majestic leftovers remain in the verdant pastures of the Villa Pamphili park, high up beyond the Janiculum hill, and the Orto Botanico by the river bank.
The main point of entry to Trastevere is via the Ponte Sisto footbridge, built for Pope Sixtus IV but now occupied by a ‘no-global’ gang of harmless, cider-quaffing hippies complete with dogs on strings and other begging accessories. If you prefer a more mechanical form of transport then you’ll need to cross the Ponte Garibaldi instead.
Along from Trastevere and under the Aventine hill is the salt-of-the-earth working-class neighbourhood of Testaccio. Once home to a huge slaughterhouse and its workers, this neighbourhood has become a nocturnal hub of clubs and bars. The daily market offers a rare glimpse into authentic everyday Roman life, complete with riotous colours and even more riotously colourful characters.
Opposite the old slaughterhouse, which is now given over to raves, art exhibitions and social activism, is the Monte di Testaccio, a 35m-high hill made from the shards of clay pots, which once upon a time carried provisions into Ancient Rome. Oil and wine were decanted here, and then the amphorae were crushed and slung on the pile, building a hill over time. By the 17th century, wine cellars and osterie were burrowing their way into the cool, clay hill and since then have been transformed into bars and nightclubs along Rome’s buzziest strip.
Just behind the vast and rather incongruous pyramid of Caio Cestio is the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Ostiense, earmarked for intense renovation. Rem Koolhaus and his architecture clan will be sprucing up the old Mercati Generali to create a retail, culture and leisure development to resemble something like London’s Covent Garden. It’s now home to the wonderfully forward-thinking Centrale Montemartini, a collection of classical sculpture displayed on and around an old electricity plant. Property prices are now doubling, so enjoy the urban bohemian edge while you still can, and check out the cool clubs around Via Libetta.
