Testaccio is a historic neighborhood of Rome that arose near the Tiber when, starting in the 2nd century BC, the Testaccio plain was used for the construction of the port of Ripa Grande (Emporium), warehouses for goods, and a landfill for transport waste, especially amphorae, which, accumulating over time, formed an artificial hill of shards (testae, in Latin) from which the name Monte Testaccio derives. In the Middle Ages, it underwent progressive abandonment, while following the unification of Italy, the area was used to house industrial plants (railways, slaughterhouses, general markets, and a gas factory). The neighborhood was, in fact, born as a residential offshoot for workers employed in the activities of the city. settled in the area.

The Slaughterhouse architectural complex was built between 1888 and 1891 based on a design by architect Gioacchino Ersoch and is considered one of the most important industrial archaeology buildings in the city due to the modernity and originality of its structures.

The original pavilions that characterize the entire complex, arranged in a vast area with a geometric and rational design, responded to clear principles of functionality and hygiene. A large number of internal and external iron architectural elements, typical of the industrial era, are still clearly visible.

Today, the complex is almost completely renovated and converted: it houses one of the city's universities. Some pavilions are used for exhibitions and displays.

The redevelopment project included the Pelanda, a large space of approximately 5,000 square meters in the area once used for pork processing. The restoration preserved the structures and artifacts of the so-called "Galleria delle Vasche," which now houses a new study space and the neighborhood library.

The Roman atmosphere can still be felt in the neighborhood's streets, especially in the main square, "Piazza Testaccio," and in the historic local market. Meanwhile, spaces have spontaneously sprung up in the neighborhood that host recreational cultural expressions: music, prose, and poetry, alongside numerous restaurants, pubs, and pizzerias.