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Abstract: This article follows the principle stages of the long history of a symbolic site of the Testaccio quarter, the Monte dei Cocci (Mount of Shards), which is the result of a methodical accumulation of fragments of oil-carrying amphorae that began in the 2nd century bc and continued over many centuries. The hill has undergone various transformations in it’s function over the years: from a commercial dump it became an ideal site for the conservation of wine, with the construction of grottoes around it’s perimeter, and a venue for religious and recreational festivals, like the ‘ludi maximi’ of the Roman Carnival, recorded as early as the 13th century, and the ‘Ottobrate Romane’ from the 18th century. This authentic ‘open air archive’, after a period of neglect, has recently become the focus of projects promoted by the Cultural office of the Rome City Council for its conservation and reappraisal.