Top 10 Things to Do in Montesacro in Rome

Top 10 Things to Do in Montesacro in Rome

Piazza Sempione is the center of the Montesacro neighborhood, image sourced from Engel & Volkers

Montesacro is one of the hippest districts in Rome, but noone seems to know why that is, really – it’s not like the area is a new urban development, after all (read on for more information)!

I guess you could say that it’s one of those things that happens in Rome from time to time: a perfectly “regular” borough becomes a trendy destination for younger crowds and older residents alike: it has happened to Pigneto before, and Testaccio, and now history is repeating itself in Monteverde or Tor Pignattara.

Now that more and more cognizant tourists are looking for things to do outside of the city center, in a much more authentic setting, away from huge crowds, it’s only natural that they start looking at places in Rome with a more local vibe, and Montesacro is one of those!

How to get to Montesacro?

If you’re using public transportation, you can make the most of buses 60 (from Piazza Venezia) or 90 (from Termini) or you can take the subway to Conca D’oro (subway line B1). From there it’s less than 10 minutes to the heart of Città Giardino, or you can also jump on a bus for a couple of stops (337, 343, 86 all go there). By train, the closest station to Montesacro is Roma Nomentana (FL1 line, the very same taking you to the airport in Fiumicino).

If you’re using a bike sharing system, the Helbiz service covers the area. By car or moped, just follow the Nomentana Way out of town – you’ll end up in Piazza Sempione, at the center of the district!

A quick history of Montesacro

A rare aerial sight of Montesacro at the end of the 1920s: you can see a good number of the “villini”, image sourced from sovraintendenzaroma.it

This district north-east of the city center has been first established in 1919, which makes it a little over one hundred years old! Built around the Via Nomentana way where it crosses the Aniene, the Tiber’s top tributary river, it was initially planned as a homage to the suburban detached houses of Great Britain.

Of course they were not plainly copied: original architect Gustavo Giovannoni added some twists to its designs and the end result are called “villini“, literally “little villas” (hint: there is nothing little about them!) that are inspired at the same time by the English “garden city” concept and the Art Nouveau style.

Not for nothing, the oldest part of Montesacro is called Città Giardino: the Italian translation for “garden city” – thanks to the amount of greenery and public parks in the area.

As for Montesacro itself, it takes its name from a legend: allegedly, it’s on the highest hill in the surroundings (now home to the Bolivar city park) that the Roman plebs withdrew during their secession from the aristocracy in 494 BC. Consul Menenius Agrippa successfully reached a deal between the two parties on a hill devoted to the Roman gods (Monte Sacro = Holy hill), and a bloody revolution was avoided.

It’s not the only event of note to happen around these parts, but I don’t want to bore you, so let’s start at the very beginning with the top 10 things to do in Montesacro!

1. Visit the Ponte Nomentano bridge (possibly with Charlemagne involved!)

The old Ponte Nomentano bridge, image sourced from scoprendoroma.info

This tip needs a little explanation: when Charlemagne came to Rome to be crowned (that happened on Christmas Day of the year 800) he passed the river Aniene on an ancient Roman bridge called Ponte Nomentano. Or Ponte Vecchio, as locals call it fondly, to tell it apart from Ponte Tazio, north of it.

The bridge is still there, off limits to car and moped traffic, and it’s a sight to behold – even though it has been redone in the Middle Ages (and it shows). While you can visit and take pictures any time of the year, if you do so on the last (typically) Sunday of October you can enjoy a historical re-enactment with actors and children from the district dressing up in Medieval garb to commemorate the Emperor’s entrance in the city.

Ponte Nomentano – Via Nomentana, 414

2. Eat all of the pizza

Thanks to some weird planetary alignment (for sure!) Montesacro offers an overabundance of top pizza places, which will help you sample all the different styles found in Rome.

For instance, go to Menenio Agrippa, residents’ much loved trattoria, to try Roman, thin crust pied. Or get to In Grano Veritas, on Viale Gottardo, if you want some pizza al taglio (by the slice): the dough is completely different. For more variations, you can walk easily to the nearby Espero part of the district to eat Naples-style pizza or trapizzino at Tonda, one of the top 10 pizza places in Rome, You can even get ancient Roman pinsa at Il Grillo!

Menenio Agrippa – Via Nomentana, 631/633
In Grano Veritas – Viale Gottardo, 39/41
Tonda – Via Valle Corteno, 31
Pinseria del Grillo – Via Val Trompia, 8

3. Discover Rome in the Stone Age

Mammoth tusks at the Museo di Casal de’ Pazzi, image sourced from museocasaldepazzi.it

Very little is known about Rome before the Romans, but the fact that Montesacro was built relatively late as compared to other areas of Rome means that some forward thinking scholars were able to preserve a few fascinating evidences from a very distance past.

Case in point: in 1929 duke Mario Grazioli, who owned a quarry on what is now known as Via di Sacco Pastore, found two Neanderthal skulls on his property there, as well as mammoth tusks and rhinoceros’ bones.

These remains are now displayed in the small but lovely Casal de’ Pazzi museum, some 10 minutes east of Montesacro proper.

The museum itself is an awesome building in itself, assembled around a prehistoric, dried up riverbed where more mammoth fragments were found. The visit lets you see the riverbed from above, along with the traces of bones found there, painting the picture of a much different looking Rome: warmer, “tropics-like”, where animals that we consider exotic used to thrive!

Museo di Casal de’ Pazzi – Via Egidio Galbani, 6. Opens 9AM to 2PM from Tuesdays to Sundays. Booking is mandatory.

4. Go for a drink

The hundreds of Romans who each night pick Montesacro for their aperitivo and their nighcaps alike can’t be wrong: in less than 10 years, dozens of bars and bistros have opened in the district, giving an overall boost to Rome’s nightlife.

A far cry from the noisy, posh hangouts in the city center, most of these joints are clustered around Viale Gottardo (Twenty 2.0; Bootleg; Metà; Mezzo Litro; La schiacciateria dei maledetti toscani; Rino; Comò – these are all in the same street) and Via Cimone (Anchimò, Pisto), while some exceptions are found in other areas of the district (for instance: Tufo and Hop and Drop serve excellent beers on Viale Tirreno and Viale Adriatico, respectively, Vineria 19 and Roof are a wine bar and a cocktail bar both on Piazzale Adriatico; The Black Rabbit is on Via Valsolda).

High quality, friendly staff, and cheaper prices (like at Ponte Tazio, a shack only opening in the summer season on Corso Sempione!) should convince you to come check Montesacro out!

Twenty 2.0 – Viale Gottardo, 31
Schiacciateria dei Maledetti Toscani – Viale Gottardo, 35
Bootleg – Viale Gottardo, 23/25
Rino – Viale Gottardo, 62-64
Comò – Viale Gottardo, 95-97
Metà – Viale Gottardo, 18/20
The Black Rabbit – Via Valsolda, 21
Vineria 19 – Piazzale Adriatico, 19
Roof Cocktail Bar – Piazzale Adriatico, 14
Anchimò – Piazza Menenio Agrippa, 8/A
Pisto – Via Cimone, 15
Hop and Drop – Viale Adriatico, 64
Tufo – Viale Tirreno, 77

5. Love the outdoors in the Riserva naturale del Parco dell’Aniene

Montesacro is perched atop the Aniene river, as I mentioned, and the valley where it flows has been found to be one of the top wetlands habitats within Rome’s city limits.

The Riserva naturale del Parco dell’Aniene covers several districts in Rome, from Tor Cervara in the far east to the Salario area. It even gets to Tivoli, the very same place where Hadrian’s Villa and Villa D’Este attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year! If you decide to come check out Montesacro, you can join the thousands of people jogging, biking or horse riding in the park, which can be easily accessed on Via Monte Nevoso or right at the corner of the Ponte Nomentano bridge.

6. Montesacro loves live music!

Rino Gaetano was Montesacro’s best known musician. He died in 1981 and the whole district is still protective of his memory! Image sourced from Obbino on Flickr through Wikipedia

Montesacro has deep ties to the world of music: famously, this is the district where much loved singer-songwriter Rino Gaetano used to live before dying tragically in 1981 (find a plaque outside his apartment on Via Nomentana, 53). One of the borough’s newest bars (“Rino”, indeed, on Viale Gottardo) is even called after him!

That’s the not the only nod to this art: Il Locale, on Viale Adriatico, and Casa Claudia, by Ponte Nomentano, are restaurants that routinely host jazz gigs.

Riverside, on Viale Gottardo, has a daily calendar of gigs by local bands as well as international acts. Comò uses its recognizable landing (“Balconcino”) as a mini-stage during the warmer season for lovely acoustic sets, and even Rino has music events on Sunday mornings, aptly called “HangoveRino”.

It doesn’t end there – you can find more gigs at Ponte Tazio during the summer season, or at Roof.

Brancaleone, on Via Levanna, is a self-managed social centre which has recently reopened and sets up different kind of left-leaning, politically charged music events. The Zoobar, at the edge between Montesacro and Pietralata neighboring district, is another must-visit.

And the beat goes on, as they say: in the summertime, make sure you hit Parco Nomentano, the small park south of the old bridge: iFest and Aniene are two festivals set-up back to back with plenty of concerts from Italian acts, ranging from rock to dance, from swing to folk music. Some of them are free of charge, too!

Il Locale – Viale Adriatico, 9/11
Casa Claudia – Via Nomentana, 414
Riverside – Viale Gottardo, 12
Comò – Viale Gottardo, 95/97
Rino – Viale Gottardo, 62
Ponte Tazio – Corso Sempione
Brancaleone – Via Levanna, 11
Zoobar – Via Generale Roberto Bencivenga, 1

7. Change your wardrobe!

La Sfinge on Viale Adriatico, Proj3ct Store on Corso Sempione or WASP on Viale Tirreno are some of the best known clothing stores in Montesacro. With styles ranging from varsity-inspired attire to a focus on up-and-coming international brand, they’re cheaper than some of their counterparts in the city center.

Plus, take a walk in the neighborhood for inspiration: you’ll find the Montesacro residents to be extremely stylish!

La Sfinge – Viale Adriatico, 10a
Proj3ct Store – Corso Sempione, 1
WASP -Viale Tirreno, 20

8. Burgers and tacos are all the rage in Montesacro

Get a (different) bite to eat! Not only Montesacro is home to Cucara Macara, one of a handful of authentic Mexican restaurants in Rome: you can also hit up California Cookhouse on Viale Carnaro, a tex-mex fast-food joint with burgers and tacos to die for! More burgers (more like skewers!) and tapas are at suitably called Mini on Via Nomentana, while C1b0, the restaurant connected (literally so!) to clothing store Proj3ct, offers a range of smart, internationally-inspired recipes that include Chicken Wings, Brazilian Picanhas, pancakes at breakfast or excellent burgers, including a number of vegan options.

At The Butcher Shop, on Via Nomentana, you can even choose what meat to use for your burgers (it’s not uncommon to ask for prosciutto meat!).

If you don’t care for burgers, try the take-away organic, vegan food at Le Petit Bio on Piazza Menenio Agrippa or get some Lebanese at I Cuochi Dentro on Viale Tirreno. Looking for some more formal places? Get thee to Il Locale, on Viale Adriatico, Vinea or Kisà, both on Via di Conca D’Oro, or Da Francesco on Via Valsugana (the latter two restaurants offer seafood-only dishes)!

Cucara Macara – Viale Gottardo, 89-91
Vinea – Via Conca d’Oro, 38
Kisà – Via Conca d’Oro, 74
Da Francesco – Via Valsugana, 48
Il Locale – Viale Adriatico, 9/11
Le Petit Bio – Piazza Menenio Agrippa, 7
I Cuochi Dentro – Viale Tirreno, 67
The Butcher Shop – Via Nomentana, 647
C1B0 – Viale Tirreno, 2
California Cookhouse – Viale Carnaro, 13
Mini – Via Nomentana, 420

9. Finally, you can watch a football match at a real sports bar!

I know, I know: sports bars don’t really exist in Rome – different customs and all that. In the city center their role is covered by Irish-style pubs, catering to the needs of expats and tourists alike looking to keep up with their local teams, but in this part of Rome Malto Matto is where it’s at!

This beer-shop/pub is under the arcade on Piazza Menenio Agrippa, and is packed with locals whenever Lazio or Roma are playing. A fun place to hang at!

Malto Matto – Piazza Menenio Agrippa, 13/14

10. Go on a photo tour

Street art on Viale Ionio in Montesacro, image sourced from Facebook

The original architecture of the villini; street art by Viale Tirreno or under the bridge on Viale Ionio; the murmurations of starlings in winter and fisher kings or egrets in the spring and summer; the remains of ancient Rome on Via Nomentana; fascist architecture on Piazzale Adriatico: lovers of photography will have a field day in Montesacro!