A Doll Atelier in Testaccio

This experience is centered on the historic workshops that still give life to Testaccio, a district shaped by labor and craftsmanship. At its heart is a rare encounter inside a restoration atelier founded in 1987, where antique dolls are brought to life. Your host Irene will introduce you to her parents Gianni and Eliana - the founders - who share the delicate process of repairing porcelain faces and preserving the memories these objects carry. The walk continues through the neighborhood and the stories that influenced its identity: the old slaughterhouse complex, the amphora-stacked hill known as Monte dei Cocci, and the covered market that still anchors local life. Irene brings a deep knowledge of Testaccio’s social history, showing how her family’s workshop grew out of the same working-class fabric that defines the district. The experience ends with a stop at a historic pastry shop where you’ll taste a maritozzo con panna and learn the story behind its name — and generous filling.

This experience offers an extraordinary intimacy as the restoration atelier closes temporarily to the public to welcome you, offering a moment of full attention and focus. Inside this tiny space, just 20 square meters, antique dolls, tin toys, puppets, and carillons are gently brought back to life—a rare craft that survives in only a handful of places in Rome. Watching these delicate repairs unfold in front of you feels like stepping into a bygone era, a moment that evokes childhood memories and long-forgotten stories. Through Irene’s guidance, you’ll also gain insight into Testaccio's layered identity: from its industrial roots to its current role as a site of creative reinvention and urban tension. Irene is among the most respected voices on the history of Rome’s working-class neighborhoods and the rise of the city's industrial core in the late 1800s. Her perspective adds depth to contemporary issues of gentrification, regeneration, and the balance between preservation and change.

Irene Ranaldi is an urban sociologist and independent researcher based in Rome. She was the first in Italy to publish a study on gentrification comparing her own neighborhood, Testaccio, with Astoria in New York. Her work draws from historical archives and years of field research, focusing on the social transformations of urban districts and the shifting boundaries between city centers and peripheries.

Comfortable shoes and your curiosity.