Deodapper
Rome: Trastevere to Catacombs via Testaccio
Roma, Lazio, IT · 8 stops · 20 km (12.2 mi) · about 1 h 11 min driving · 19 spoken stories
For food lovers and ancient Rome enthusiasts, this 71-minute drive weaves through Roman working-class neighbourhoods and imperial ruins. Start in Trastevere's cobbled lanes, visit Testaccio's legendary food market and the amphorae hill, then follow the Appian Way's basalt stones to the Catacombs of San Callisto.
Photo: LuisaV72, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From Trastevere, Rome to Catacombs of San Callisto
The stops
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1
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Santa Maria in Trastevere is a titular church and minor basilica located in Trastevere, Rome. Traditionally considered one of the oldest churches in the city dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it has served as a cardinal titular church since the 3rd century.
“We're pulling up at Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, and this is about as close to the soul of the neighborhood as you can get.”
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2
Trastevere lanes and Piazza Trilussa
Trastevere is the 13th rione of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin trans Tiberim.
“This is the thirteenth rione of Rome, and its name is simply Latin for across the Tiber, because that's exactly where we are, on the far bank from the rest of the city.”
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3
Mercato Testaccio
lunchTestaccio is the 20th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. XX, deriving its name from Monte Testaccio. It is located within the Municipio I. Its coat of arms depicts an amphora, referencing to the broken vessels that Monte Testaccio is made of.
“Here's the one you came for.”
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4
Monte Testaccio
Monte Testaccio or Monte Testaceo, also known as Monte dei Cocci, is an artificial mound in Rome composed almost entirely of testae, fragments of broken ancient Roman pottery, nearly all discarded amphorae, some of which were labelled with tituli picti.
“Right behind the market is one of the strangest hills in Rome.”
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5
Pyramid of Cestius
The pyramid of Cestius is an ancient Roman pyramid in Rome, Italy, near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery. It was built in the style of the Nubian pyramids as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a member of the Epulones religious corporation.
“Up ahead, a pyramid.”
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6
Baths of Caracalla
The Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy, were the city's second largest Roman public bath complex, or thermae, after the Baths of Diocletian. The baths were likely built between AD 212 and 216/217, during the reigns of emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla.
“These colossal brick vaults are the Baths of Caracalla, Rome's second largest public bath complex after the Baths of Diocletian.”
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7
Porta San Sebastiano and Museo delle Mura
The Porta San Sebastiano is the largest and one of the best-preserved gates in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy. Originally known as the Porta Appia due to its location at the beginning of the Appian Way, the gate served as a key southern entrance to the city since antiquity.
“This is Porta San Sebastiano, the largest and one of the best preserved gates in the Aurelian Walls.”
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8
Via Appia Antica (Regional Park)
The Appian Way, also known by its Latin and Italian name, Via Appia, is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recorded by Statius, of Appia longarum... regina viarum.
“Here it is, the Appian Way, the Via Appia, one of the earliest and strategically most important roads of the Roman republic.”
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