Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio

Every weekday morning, Testaccio’s neighborhood market hums with activity as locals go about their daily shopping, picking, prodding and sniffing the brightly colored produce and browsing displays of wardrobe staples. Come lunchtime, and the focus shifts to the market's ever-popular food stalls.

The Site

Since 2012, the market has been housed in a modern, purpose-built building. Designed by architect Marco Rietti, the white, exposed-steel structure allows sunlight to stream in through its glass ceilings. Terracotta cubes on the outer walls recall the smashed amphorae that make up the nearby Monte Testaccio.

Stalls & Street Food

Fanning out from a central bar area, almost a hundred stalls cater to shoppers, students (from a nearby architecture faculty), food lovers and tourists. Wares on sale range from freshly baked bread and seasonal produce to household goods, shoes, bijou jewelry and artisanal fashions.

For hungry visitors, the star attractions are the food stalls. These include Mordi e Vai at Box 15 where you can grab a panino con l'allesso di scottona (a bread roll filled with meltingly tender slow-cooked beef). Food Box at Box 66 specializes in crispy-fried snacks while Casa Manco at Box 22 is the place for scrumptious sliced pizza. If you fancy something a little more refined, head to Box 18 where you can sip on elegant regional wine accompanied by cheese at Da Corrado al Banco 18.