MACRO Testaccio

Testaccio is the 20th district of Rome. Its name derives from the so called “monte” (mons Testaceus), a 35 mt. high hill made by debris and clay fragments (testae in Latin).
In antiquity the nearby Ripa Port on the Tiber River, was the main trading area for the raw materials and goods arriving by sea at Ostia. Most of the goods were transported in clay amphoras. For centuries debris and fragments of the broken amphoras were stacked creating this artificial hill made by over 25 millions of broken amphoras.
In the 19th century, the city Slaughterhouse was placed in the distric, favoring the origin of many hinns and restaurant; today the new cultural destination of the Mattatoio has transformed the neighborhood in one of the most trendy and lively district of the capital.

The Slaughterhouse complex, built between 1888 and 1891, is considered as one of Rome’s most important industrial buildings, as well one of the more interesting examples of “industrial archaeology” to have survived.
In 2002, two buildings inside complex were assigned to MACRO specifically to encourage and disseminate an interest in and appreciation for contemporary art.