Villaggio Globale

San Giovanni & Testaccio


For a taste of the underground, head to this historic centro sociale (an ex-squat turned cultural centre) occupying the city’s graffiti-sprayed former slaughterhouse. It stages gigs, from techno to ska, as well as DJ sets, workshops and cultural events.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Giovanni & Testaccio attractions

1. Mattatoio

0.15 MILES

Housed in Rome’s former slaughterhouse, the Mattatoio complex is one of Rome's top contemporary arts venues. Its cavernous halls, themselves fine examples…

2. Monte Testaccio

0.29 MILES

In the heart of the eponymous neighbourhood, this grass-covered mount, known locally as Monte dei Cocci, is an artificial hill made entirely from the…

3. Caserma dell’Aeronautica

0.38 MILES

It's fading fast: Bolognese artist Blu (www.blublu.org) painted this former military warehouse in a rainbow of sinister faces, incorporating the building…

4. Cimitero Acattolico per gli Stranieri

0.41 MILES

Despite the roads that surround it, Rome’s 'non-Catholic' cemetery is a verdant oasis of peace. An air of Grand Tour romance hangs over the site where up…

5. Ex Mira Lanza Museum

0.42 MILES

The ruins of this 19th-century soap factory in Ostiense, built in 1899, are the site of an experimental museum of street art. Home to a handful of…

6. Piramide di Caio Cestio

0.49 MILES

Sticking out like, well, an Egyptian pyramid, this distinctive landmark looms over a busy traffic junction near Piramide metro station. A 36m-high marble…

7. Porta San Paolo

0.52 MILES

Built after the barbarians’ invasion of Rome, the remarkably well-preserved Porta San Paolo once served as a southern gate in the 3rd-century Aurelian…

8. Museo Capitoline Centrale Montemartini

0.59 MILES

Housed in a former power station, this bold outpost of the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini) juxtaposes classical sculpture with diesel engines and…