Sottosopra! L'archeologia a piccoli passi

Since 12 May 2016, sottosopra! L'archeologia a piccoli passi (Archaeology in small steps) is open to the public, a playful-didactic space dedicated to children and adults, a real multisensory journey to discover the history of Rome.

The initiative was born from the collaboration between the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Colosseo e l'Area Archeologica Centrale di Roma and Explora - the Children's Museum of Rome, and is located inside the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio, on the remains of an ancient horreum (a Roman warehouse).
The aim of the archaeologists and the designers is to create a connection between history, culture and today's territory, so that young people, while having fun, can overcome the apparent distance between the remains of ancient Rome and the ever-changing contemporary world. The result is an innovative, stimulating and technologically advanced site, based on a combination of archaeological research and the didactic methodology of learning by doing. Combining science with a playful approach, in a context far removed from traditional museum settings, young archaeologists will be able to get hands-on with real finds, which will be given back the role of everyday objects, rediscovering their original nature.
everyday objects, rediscovering their materiality, colours and even smells.

Sottosopra! aims to tell a different story of the ancient city, a plunge into the daily life of the Roman plebs, far from the places of power and the great imperial residences. A cultural panorama of nutrition, agronomy, naval engineering, society and customs, building and geography opens up before the eyes of young visitors. Through history and archaeology, the children, accompanied by an operator, will also embark on a journey to get to know the area.
In ancient times the Rione Testaccio was a large port and commercial district of Rome, populated by markets for sale and distribution (fora), warehouses and dumps, the most famous of which was the artificial hill known as Monte Testaccio or Monte dei Cocci. Underneath the area of the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio (New Testaccio Market), finds and buildings dating back to the Roman period between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D. have been discovered.
and reuse of amphora fragments.
Conceived as a space dedicated to the children of the Museo Diffuso del Rione Testaccio, sottosopra! wants to involve the citizens, even the youngest, in a continuous fruition of the territory. Thanks to participatory planning workshops in schools, the inhabitants of the neighbourhood themselves have played a leading role in the creation of sottosopra!, a project that aims to make the archaeological area of the new Testaccio market a place of dialogue between the inhabitants and the local community.
Testaccio market a place of dialogue between the neighbourhood and the children who, through play and discovery, will be able to acquire tools for civic education.