Aventino and Testaccio are neighbourhoods of Rome.
Aventino is named for the hill which rises up near the Tiber river and is one of the legendary seven hills of Rome. Diagonally opposite at the end of Circus Maximus is the Celian Hill, another of the seven hills. Testaccio is an area to the southwest of Aventino along the bank of the Tiber and is named for the eighth hill of Rome, a man made hill that was built from discarded pot amphorae (testae) in Roman times. In Testaccio you can find great traditional Roman restaurants, and at night the zone is filled with discos.
Easy access to Aventino from most areas of Rome. From Termini area take a bus to Piazza Venezia and walk from there to reach Piazza Bocca della Verità.
Testaccio is a short walk from the metro station 📍 and there is also a metro line [B] station at the end of Circus Maximus. Near Piramide Metro station is Ostiense railway station, with regular connections to and from Fiumicino Airport. From Piramide you can also get trains to Ostia.
Keyhole View, 41.88289°, 12.47839°. The most popular thing on the Aventino hill is to take a peek through the keyhole that lets you look through three countries (the third is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which owns the building that the keyhole belongs to) and see St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City perfectly framed between two rows of trees.
Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Piazza Bocca della Verità, 41.888056°, 12.481667°. A medieval church dating from the 6th century and home to the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth). The Bocca della Verità at the entrance to the church is thought to be a 1st-century manhole cover. It is believed that if you put your hand in the mouth and tell a lie, the hand will be bitten off. Queues for the privilege of risking this can get rather long. Don't ignore the church, which is a gem, and has a separate entrance. Its mosaic floor in the Cosmatesque style is more rustic and less intricate than some others (Santa Maria in Trastevere, for example), but its simplicity gives it a solidity not found in the more ornate styles. S.M. in Cosmedin has a fine medieval choir enclosure and the tallest medieval belfry in Rome.
Piazza Bocca della Verità, 41.888936°, 12.481453°. In addition to Santa Maria in Cosmedin there is a lot to be seen around this piazza. Opposite the church is the round temple dedicated to Hercules Invictus (the Unconquered Hercules), and not far from that the rectangular Fortuna Virilis, both constructed in the 1st Century. Opposite, to the back of the piazza is the Arch of Argentari and behind that the church of San Giorgio in Velabro, the front of which was repaired after being damaged by a terrorist bomb in July 1993.
Circus Maximus, 41.8859°, 12.4857°. The contours of the ancient stadium, built in the 6th Century B.C., are still visible in what is now a park in the shadow of the Palatine. Circus Maximus was primarily devoted to chariot races and was used for this purpose until around 550 AD. The stadium could seat up to 150,000 people. Originally built of wood, it burnt down twice, on the second occasion starting the great fire when the Emperor Nero was said to fiddle while Rome burned. It was in one of the tunnels here that Caligula met his end. Excavations began in 2009 at the east end of the circus and are likely to go on for some years.
Rose Garden, 41.88538°, 12.48342°. open in May and June. A relaxing place to sit and recover from the exertions of sightseeing. Permanent collection plus annual competition.
FAO, 41.882732°, 12.488563°. The enormous building at the southeast end of the Circus Maximus is the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). From its roof are undoubtedly the best views of Rome, but you will need to know someone who works there to get past the strict security.
The Celio (Celian Hill), 41.883587°, 12.494992°. The Celian Hill is one of the seven hills of Rome. You immediately see the church of San Gregorio Magno. On this site monks were trained before setting off as missionaries to England at the end of the 6th Century. Further up the hill is Santi Giovanni e Paolo. At this point it is difficult to believe you are in the middle of a major city. This church was built in 398 over the home of two Roman soldiers, John and Paul, who were martyred for their Christian beliefs in 362. Excavations show that there were several burials on the site, a risky business as burials were illegal at that time. After the church you come to the back entrance of the Villa Celimontana park (jazz festival nightly in late June-August). The modern buildings before you reach the park are owned by Silvio Berlusconi’s television company. By the main entrance of the park note the boat-like fountain known as the “Navicella”. As you exit the main entrance to the left is the church of S. Maria in Domnica, which has some interesting mosaics. Next to this church is the Porta Esquilina, one of the gates from the original Servian walls of Rome. It dates back to the 4th century BC.
Terme di Caracalla, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla (continue southeast from the end of the Circus Maximus; the entrance is 300 m on your right, immediately after you pass the athletics stadium), 41.88044°, 12.49236°. 09:00 until one hour before sunset, and 09:00 to 14:00 on Mondays. Inaugurated in 217 AD and used until the 6th Century. The baths were big enough for 1600 bathers at a time. Impressive and well-preserved. Used for operas in summer months (see Opera di Roma for details) and was the location for the famous "three tenors" concert in July 1990, at the time of the World Cup (soccer). €8, plus €2 for online reservation 2019-04-29
San Saba, 41.878639°, 12.485542°. In the 8th and 9th century, San Saba was one of the most prestigious monasteries of Rome. The church has been built up over many centuries and contains a variety of architectural styles. Worth a look are the floor mosaics and some interesting frescoes on the left side of the church.
Servian Wall, Via di Sant' Anselmo (follow the Viale Aventino from Circo Massimo; at Piazza Albania take the very small road to the right after the Esso gas station; the wall is 50 m up the road under a roof), 41.88041°, 12.48276°. The Servian Wall was the first wall around Rome, built around the 3rdcCentury BC. This well-preserved section gives a good opportunity to see the construction methods used at that time, involving the use of blocks of tufa rock.
Roman Houses (Case Romane del Celio), Clivo di Scauro (on the Celio on the left as you go up the hill to SS Giovanni e Paulo), 41.8864°, 12.492°. Tu-M 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00, Tu W closed. Early Roman houses dating back to the 1st century, believed to be homes of early Christians. Well-preserved frescoes and a small museum. €6 2015-06-01
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino, 41.882083°, 12.477917°. Home of the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation and Benedictine monks studying in Rome. Visit the monastic produce shop and listen to the best Gregorian chant in Rome during Vespers (19:15 each evening). 2015-12-31
Isola Tiberina, 41.890833°, 12.477222°. This is the island located in the middle of the Tiber River (Il Fiume Tevere) that separates Central Rome and Trastevere. It boasts both a major hospital, called Fatebenefratelli, and a small synagogue that was secretly used in the Second World War when Rome's main synagogue nearby was closed down. It also has a café and gelateria on the Rome side. It is a nice way of getting to and from Trastevere. Be sure to get photos from Ponte Garibaldi as Isola Tiberina truly is beautiful. The island is 270 m long and up to 67 m broad. According to the legend envoys were sent to the temple of Asklepius in Epidauros in Greece in 291BC in order to get relief from an epidemic in Rome. The envoys brought one of the holy snakes back with them. The snake swam to the Tiber Island thus determining the place where a temple for Asklepius was built. The successor of the Asklepius sanctuary is the Church San Bartolomeo which was built by the German Emperor Otto III around the year 1000. The Ponte Rotto is what is left from the ancient Pons Aemilius, the oldest stone bridge over the Tiber erected around 180 BC. The bridge was partly destroyed during a flood in 1557, re-erected by Pope Gregor XIII and finally pulled down in 1598. In 62 BC the Senatorial road construction office replaced the wooden footbridge by the Ponte Fabricio.
Pyramid of Gaius Cestius, 41.876389°, 12.480833°. A tomb for the wealthy Gaius Cestius, who died in 12 BC. Admission to the monument only by guided tours on specific dates (2nd and 4th Saturday every month, and in combination with a ticket to the Museum of Via Ostiense also on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month). €5.50 + booking fee
Porta San Paolo, 41.8767°, 12.4815°. Next door to the Pyramid, this fine gate in the Aurelian Wall is named after St. Paul as the Via Ostiense leads to the basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls (see Rome/South).
Protestant (or non-Catholic) Cemetery (Cimitero Acattolico), Via Caio Cestio 6, 41.876397°, 12.479944°. M-Sa 09:00-17:00, Su 09:00-13:00 (last entrance 30 min before closing). Behind the pyramid, entered by the Via Caio Cestio, is the Protestant Cemetery where the poet John Keats was buried in 1821 and Percy Bysshe Shelley's ashes were also buried after his drowning in 1822. Richard Dana, author of Two Years before the Mast was buried there in 1882, and the Beat Generation poet Gregory Corso was buried there in 2001. Free entry, donations welcome
Railway and tramcar museum, Via Bartolomeo Bossi 7 (just behind the Porta S. Paolo station of the Roma-Lido urban railway line; opposite the Pyramid), 41.8752°, 12.4810°. Small collection of railway carriages and related stuff. Really just for those with special interest in the topic. Entrance through the station if the main entrance is closed. 2015-12-31
{{see | name=MACRO Testaccio | alt= | url=http://en.museomacro.org/macro_testaccio/macro_testaccio (dead link: December 2020) | email= | address=Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4 | lat=41.87638 | long=12.47315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 14:00-20:00, M closed (last admission 30 min before closing) | price= | lastedit=2016-03-01 | content=Part of the MACRO Museum with its main building in North Center. Located in a complex that was used as slaughterhouse in the 19th century. }}
There is usually a temporary food stall near the keyhole (see above) on the Aventino. But the best bet is to buy some food at a shop before you arrive and have a picnic at one of the parks on the Aventino overlooking the Tiber and the city. Volpetti at Via Marmorata 47 has a wide selection of prosciutto, salami, olives and cheeses. Perfect for a picnic. Alternatively, the three bars along the west side of the Viale Aventino all offer tables outside and serve sandwiches, salads and pastas.