What did ancient Romans do with their non-perishable garbage? In the case of the amphorae that were used to transport oil from Spain to Rome, ancient Romans simply piled up millions of discarded fragments and entire ancient Roman amphorae, creating a rubbish dump of broken pottery in the capital city. The enormous refuse pile, called Monte Testaccio, is located near the Tiber River in modern Rome.
When you go to Rome, don’t miss the pizza joints in this trendy area that were built into the amphora dump. This photo is of one such restaurant called Flavio al Velavevodetto. Click on the picture for a larger version. Sit, relax, and enjoy your delicious meal while looking through the windows at the mountain of Roman amphora sherds, still neatly stacked just as they were in antiquity.
For more info about Monte Testaccio as well as pictures: http://www.archaeology.org/exclusives/articles/2892-rome-monte-testaccio-amphoras
JPK