Testaccio and its Innards

Fernando claims that Rome can never be like Paris because it doesn't use pigs feet in its cuisine.  He's never forgiven me for not making him wait for lunch the day we went to the Louvre so that instead of eating at the Louvre cafeteria we held out until we got to the nearby Au Pied de Cochon.  Just so he could have pigs feet...

Penny and I, of course, were just going to have the onion soup...

Obviously Fernando hasn't heard about Testaccio yet.  The most important thing he should know about this Roman neighborhood south of the Circo Massimo is this: "Testaccio is a Rome Neighborhood anchored by the old stockyards and a hill made of Roman amphora fragments discarded from ships on the nearby Tiber."  Where there are stockyards, there are innards.

We can look for the pigs feet (maiali piedi according to Google but probably piedini di maiale) in the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio, where we know we can at least get horse jerky and tripe sandwiches.  It used to be in the Piazza Testaccio but moved to a new indoor hall with parking below.  Kate Parla describes Testaccio in 2009 when the old market was in the Piazza: Testaccio, Rome's Open Air Museum.  Will Travel for Food recommends a housewares shop in the mercato: Lo Spaccio di Testaccio.

There is also a famous food store called Volpetti where we could buy our cheese and meat for lunch.  If you need to know about Italian cheeses, their website has pretty detailed explanations of the ones they carry.  They also have fresh pasta, rice and polenta that we could pack home for dinner.  It is open from 8 am to 2 pm and then closes for three hours and reopens from 5 to 8:15 pm.  (Let's not forget that 3 hour siesta time while we are in Rome.)  If we can't get pigs feet here we can at least get their jowls (guanciale).  Evidently piedini di maiale aren't as common in Italy as in France but I'm sure that Fernando could get his meat fix here.

Forbes Magazine has a 2013 article on Testaccio: Why you should visit Rome's hot Testaccio neighborhood, which covers the food scene and the historic scene.  They mention the Emporio delle Spezie where you can get tea and spices (or order them online, hence we have an idea of the prices), and the Citta dell'Altra Economia (Alternative City) which has a Biomercato (Organic market) on the weekends.

The Roman locale of Eataly is also here and it seems that people either love it or hate it.  We can walk through it but I doubt we'll buy anything because it is undoubtedly more expensive than the mercato.  Elizabeth Minchilli reviews it positively and InfoHostels.com says: "For Italians it will be a passionate afternoon or evening in the kingdom of their national cuisine. You can chose best quality foodstuffs and friendly personal who will help you satisfy all your expectations." InfoHostels says it has lots of information about regional Italian food for the tourist but says to avoid Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

On the other hand, Katie Parla calls it Big Box Italian Food where she says "shoppers are confronted with a combination of artisanal and industrial products of wildly inconsistent quality."  It is open from 10 am to midnight so it is someplace to visit during the dead period from 2 to 5 pm, although Katie Parla says "In spite of below average produce, terrible food, woefully uninformed staff, and all the charm of a badly run American food court, Eataly is packed day and night".  Do you think they have piedini di maiale??

Nearby Forbes mentions a pizzeria for lunch Portofluviale which actually has its prices online!!  (Is that for their takeout business??)  Not only does it have pizza but a trattoria with its menu online as well.  You can even get a burger (for 11 euros or a trio of miniburgers for 13 euros)...

Testacchio has more than food.  We can also visit the Protestant/NonCatholic Cemetery (Cimitero Acattolico) where Keats and Shelley are buried.  It is open M-Sat from 9 to 4:30 so it is another place to visit during the afternoon break.  And, my goodness, maybe we should see the Pyramid of Cestius from whence the Piramide Metro station got its name.  And we could see the slaughterhouses that have been turned into a contemporary art scene...