This is how we ended our perfect day in Testaccio, by wandering around the vast former slaughterhouse complex which now houses the fabulous market where we feasted, as well as the Testaccio branch of the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea (MACRO).

First, we discovered an installation of pipes of various lengths hanging from the eaves of one of the slaughterhouse buildings. It didn’t take us long to figure out what to do:  run through them and set them to motion, creating a giant wind chime.

Next, we ambled through an outside art installation.

But what we came here for was pulling is in… “Big Bambu” is a gigantic installation made of — in case you couldn’t tell by the name — bamboo. It’s a giant, twisted cone-shaped bird’s nest, held together only by colorful cords. And it’s big, really big, as it towers over the slaughterhouse buildings.

Its creators, Doug and Mike Starn, had previously created a similar installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so we were excited to visit Rome’s unique version. And Rome’s installation is terrific. As you enter and climb in it, you walk on a narrow path, which twists up, and then down, like a double helix.

Big Bambu is simply an amazing experience — it is disconcerting to climb so high on what seems to be such a delicate structure, but you know it is absolutely safe. Actually, it is exhilarating, and the view over Rome was stunning. All in all, a terrific ending to a perfect day in the Eternal City.