Rome Aventine And Testaccio

P. Testaccio is just past V. Luca della Robbia. In the piazza, you will find Testaccio Market, a small market set up in metal huts. Numerous vendors offer fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, pasta, candy, nuts, and a variety of prepared foods. (Prices vary, most by weight. Open M-Sa 6am-2pm. Cash only.)

Il Volpetti Più, V. Alessandro Volta 8 (☎06 57 44 306; www.volpetti.com). Turn left on V. A. Volta, off V. Marmorata. Relive high school as you slide down the lunch line at this tavola calda (cafeteria)—but replace day-old sloppy joes with authentic Italian fare. Primi €6-7.50. Secondi €4-7.50. Fresh fish F €6-8. Desserts €4. Open M-Sa 10:30am-3:30pm and 5:30-9:30pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.
Giacomini, V. Aventino 104-106 (☎06 57 43 645). B-Circo Massimo. South on V. Aventino from the Metro stop, past V. Licinia. Inside this alimentari, owner Claudio, certified Maestro Salumiere Gastronomio, prepares indescribably wonderful panini to order (€4-8) with the highest quality ingredients, as he has done for over 50 years. Wide selection of hand-picked meats and cheeses from only the best producers, priced by weight. Next door, his wife and daughter create similarly wonderful pizza. Open M-Sa 7:30am-2pm and 4:45-6:30pm. AmEx/MC/V.
Felice a Testaccio, V. Mastro Giorgio 29 (☎06 57 46 800; www.feliceatestaccio.com). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Galvani off V. Marmorata and right on V. M. Giorgio. Black squares of foam hang just below the ceiling in the dining room, probably to dampen the cheers of patrons who have just tasted their food. Feast on spaghetti alla Felice (cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and ricotta; €10) in front of post-Impressionist paintings strung up in a line on the wall. Special menú for each day of the week. Famed tonnarelli cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) €10. Primi €8-10. Secondi €13-22. Cover €1. Open M-Sa 12:30-2:45pm and 8-11:15pm. AmEx/MC/V.
Il Cantinone, P. Testaccio 31/32 (☎06 57 46 253). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Giovanni Battista Bodoni off V. Marmorata; P. Testaccio is past V. Luca della Robbia. Patrons slurp down pappardelle with wild boar sauce (€8) and hearty meat-and-gravy dishes (€12-22). Enormous brick oven pumps out delicious pizza (€4-8) from 7pm. Terrific house white wine €7 per L. Open M and W-Su noon-3pm and 7pm-midnight. AmEx/D/MC/V.
La Fraschetta di Mastro Giorgio, V. Mastro Giorgio 19 (☎06 57 41 369; www.lafraschettadimastrogiorgio.com). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Galvani off V. Marmorata and then right on V. M. Giorgio. Exposed ducts and casks balanced between rafters give this large restaurant the feel of a converted barn (in a good way). Start your meal with the special meats and cheeses from the counter, including pig head sausage and ewe’s ricotta (€3-8). Primi €8-9. Secondi €8-14. Open M-F noon-3pm and 7:30pm-1am, Sa 7:30pm-1am. AmEx/D/MC/V.
Da Oio a Casa Mia, V. Galvani 43/45 (☎06 57 82 680). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Galvani off V. Marmorata. Pictures of family and friends line the walls of the dining room, where red-and-white checkered tables play host to traditional Roman plebe food, like the coratella (heart, liver, spleen, lung with artichoke; €14). Primi €8-12. Secondi €9-18. Gnocchi Th €8. Open M-Sa 12:30-3pm and 7:30-11:30pm. MC/V.
Osteria degli Amici, V. Nicola Zabaglia 25 (☎06 57 81 466; www.osteriadegliamici.info). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Galvani off V. Marmorata and walk to the intersection with V. Nicola Zabaglia. Lamps hang from chains and keep the interior dim in this elegant eatery, even in the light of day. Original pasta dishes include strozzapreti with sausage, pumpkin, and wild fennel (€7). Curious spicy chocolate soufflé €5. Primi €7-9. Secondi €10-18. Open M and W-Su 12:30-2:30pm and 7:30pm-midnight. AmEx/D/MC/V.
Da Felice e Silvana, P. Testaccio 28-29 (☎06 57 46 342). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Giovanni Battista Bodoni off V. Marmorata; P. Testaccio is just past V. Luca della Robbia. Ink prints and photographs of Testaccio and Piramide decorate the walls around the counter, from which customers ferry prepared foods (pasta and meat €4-5) to small tables or home. Pizze tonde (full pizzas) €3.50-5.50. Calzones €2. Open M-Sa 9am-3pm and 6-9pm. Cash only.
La Crêperie di Testaccio, V. Galvani 11 (☎06 57 43 814; www.lacreperieditestaccio.it). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Galvani off V. Marmorata. Specializes in (spoiler alert) crepes and Mediterranean cuisine, plus featured dishes from around the world. Extensive daily organic and gluten-free menus. Traditional primi €4-7. Crepes €4-8. Foreign cuisine €8-14. Open Tu-F-12:30-3:30pm and 4:30pm-12:45am, Sa-Su 4:30pm-12:45am. AmEx/D/MC/V.
I Mattarelli, V. Giovanni Battista Bodoni 58/62 (☎06 57 30 28 17). B-Piramide. Turn left on Via Giovanni Battista Bodoni off V. Marmorata and walk to the intersection with V. E. Torricelli. Typical Roman cuisine, wood-oven pizza, and succulent meats are the specialties in this austere restaurant. Modern paintings of red-lipped women gaze out on dark wooden tables. Lunch buffet features meat and homemade pasta (€5) with side dishes (€3). Pizza €5-9. Meat priced by kg. Primi €9. Secondi €13-15. Open daily noon-3pm and 7-11pm. AmEx/MC/V.
Pecorino, V. Galvani 64 (☎06 57 25 05 39; www.ristorantepecorino.it). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Galvani off V. Marmorata. Cloves of garlic hang from the ceiling and classic Moretti beer posters blasphemously grace the walls in this restaurant, which stands next to the location of the original Peroni brewery. Forgive them after you taste the maltagliati con carciofi (fresh pasta with artichoke; €10). Pizza €7-12. Moretti draft €4.50-6. Primi €9-13. Secondi €12-18. Open Tu-Su 12:30-3pm and 7:30pm-midnight. AmEx/D/MC/V.
Volpetti Salumeria-Gastronomia, V. Marmorata 47 (☎06 57 42 352; www.volpetti.com), around the corner from its sister restaurant, Il Volpetti Più. Duck to avoid hanging meat shanks at this spiffy shop and wander among shelves lined with fresh gourmet cheeses, homemade pasta, and baked goods priced per kg. Open M-Sa 8am-2pm and 5-8:15pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.
Pasta Fresca Mea, P. Testaccio 3 (☎06 57 50 843). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Aldo Manuzio off V. Marmorata; P. Testaccio is just past V. Luca della Robbia. Watch the master fresh pasta artisans at work in the back, as they have been in this shop since 1947, as you select from a variety of their creations and marinated vegetables (priced per kg). Open M-W and F-Su 7:30am-1:30pm and 4:30-7:30pm. MC/V.
Blue Ice, P. Santa Maria Liberatrice 30 (☎06 61 77 42 89; www.blueiceitalia.com). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Luigi Vanvitelli off V. Marmorata; P. Santa Maria Liberatrice is just past V. Mastro Giorgio. Brightly colored gelateria appears like a low-quality chain, but has surprisingly delicious gelato at non-tourist-trap prices. Choices include soy-based gelato and excellent pistacchio. Gelato €1.50-3. Open daily 9am-1am. Cash only.
Parinando, V. della Robbia 30 (☎06 57 50 674). B-Piramide. Turn left on V. Alessandro Volta off V. Marmorata and walk to the intersection with V. della Robbia. A variety of breads, pizzas, crostini, and ripiene (priced per kg) are prepared and baked in the large oven in the back. Calzones €3. Pastries €1-2. Open M-Th 7:30am-2:10pm and 4:30-8:30pm, F 7:30am-2:10pm and 4:30-9pm, Sa 7:30am-2:10pm and 5-9pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.