★★★★★ 5.0
Discover
Mattatoio
Standing here in Testaccio, it's 1888 when architect Gioacchino Ersoch builds what becomes Europe's largest slaughterhouse. He designs separate pavilions for pork, veal, and sheep with a microbiology lab and hanging meat hooks running throughout. The Tiber River, just beyond those walls, transported livestock in and finished meat out. When it closed in 1975, the complex sat empty for years before becoming a contemporary art space. Those industrial pavilions now host exhibitions instead of carcasses. The entire Testaccio neighborhood around you exists because workers needed affordable housing here. Those iconic Roman dishes like coda alla vaccinara started with the quinto quarto—leftover animal parts workers received as wages right here at this complex.
Did You Know?
- Designed between 1888 and 1891 by architect Gioacchino Ersoch, the Mattatoio was once the largest and most technologically advanced slaughterhouse in Europe, showcasing a remarkable transition from classical to modern industrial architecture in Rome—its pavilions and water tanks are now celebrated as prime examples of industrial archaeology in the city.
- The Mattatoio’s workers, who lived in the surrounding Testaccio neighborhood built specifically for them, were too poor to buy the meat they handled; instead, they were paid partly with the 'quinto quarto'—the 'fifth quarter' of the animal, including offal, tails, and organs. These leftovers became the foundation of classic Roman dishes like coda alla vaccinara (braised oxtail), giving birth to a unique branch of Roman cuisine still celebrated today.
- Today, the Mattatoio is a vibrant cultural hub, housing the Academy of Fine Arts, the Faculty of Architecture of Roma Tre University, and a permanent site of Rome’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MACRO). Its transformation from a place of industry to a center for contemporary art and education makes it a fascinating destination for families, art lovers, and anyone curious about Rome’s layered history—with guided tours available to explore its hidden industrial features and modern exhibitions.