Deep-dive

Housing in Testaccio

Early-twentieth-century public-housing blocks (ICP) with inner courtyards, Umbertine buildings on via Marmorata, a few recent ones. Lifts often absent, medium floor plans, shared courtyards. Share of short lets growing but below the historic centre. Testaccio ZTL only at night at weekends; paid on-street parking.

Sections: Neighbourhoods · Rooms · Short & long rentals · Buying · Contracts · Deposits

Type of buildings

The rione was built within a few decades after 1880 and the stock is homogeneous: closed four- or five-storey blocks, many built by the Istituto Case Popolari in the early 1900s, with large inner courtyards and medium-sized flats; more genteel Umbertine buildings along via Marmorata and towards the Aventine; some 1950s and 1960s rebuilds. Many public-housing blocks have passed to residents through right-to-buy schemes, others remain publicly owned.

Things to check: lifts are missing in most of the older buildings, ground floors onto courtyards are dark, windows on via Galvani and via di Monte Testaccio hear the clubs until late at night. Services in the ICP blocks often need redoing.

The rental market

Testaccio is sought after by Roman families and by foreigners who want a lived-in district near the centre, and supply is limited because many homes never come onto the market. Short lets have grown around the market and the Pyramid but their share remains below Trastevere and Monti. Single rooms are few; Roma Tre and art academy students more often look in Ostiense and Garbatella. Those who want the rione without the noise look at the streets between via Marmorata and the Tiber.

Testaccio ZTL: night-time only, Friday and Saturday except public holidays 23:00–3:00, suspended in August (Roma Mobilità). By day the rione is open to traffic.
The whole rione is inside the Fascia Verde ZTL (permanent limits on the most polluting vehicles, Monday–Saturday).
Residents can apply for the night ZTL permit from Roma Servizi per la Mobilità. Parking is on blue lines with concessions for residents of the sector; on weekend evenings spaces run out because of club-goers.
Piazzale Ostiense and Ostiense station are a traffic node; the inner streets of closed blocks are calm instead, and parking by day is easier.

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