 |
| An ancient greeting. |
While most people know about Pompeii, far fewer visit the ancient Roman port of Ostia Antica, even though it's much easier to get to from Rome. At Ostia Antica you are treated to the evocative remains of a Roman working-class town, abandoned around the 5th century. You'll have the added bonus of walking through a medieval hamlet with a small castle, and, if you're there on a Thursday or Sunday morning, you can go inside the castle on a tour.
 |
| Tours of the castle--built in 1483 by the man who would become Pope Julius II--on Thursday and Sunday mornings |
If you're in Ostia Antica around lunch time, try one of the local trattorias in the hamlet. After your visit to Ostia Antica, you can even go to the beach, just one stop farther along the train line at Ostia Lido. (The trattorias are much better than the snack bar, and more likely to be open; or buy food for picnicking like a Roman on the ancient grounds.)
To get to Ostia Antica, take Metro Line B to the Piramide stop. To use your same Metro ticket, stay inside the station heading left towards the "Roma Porta San Paolo" station, for the Roma-Lido train line. (If you have more time and don't mind blowing another Metro ticket, or on your way back, go outside for a look at this well-restored 1924 "Roma-Ostia-Lido" train station.) Take the train towards the Lido (the only direction it goes from there), getting off at Ostia Antica. The trains run about every 15 minutes; less often on the weekends and holidays. (Note all of these directions and info are at the time of this writing.) From the train station, it's a short walk to the hamlet of Ostia and then just a little farther to the archaeological site.
 |
| Ornate sarcophagus |
Buy a map of the site at the Ostia Antica ticket office to give you a better idea of what you're seeing. Once inside there are restrooms, a book and souvenir shop, picnic area, and a bar selling sandwiches, drinks, and snacks. Also near the entrance is an archaeological museum with statues, busts of Roman emperors and sarcophagi. Off to one side is a small necropolis.
 |
| Toilets. Not much privacy. |
Ostia Antica is more compact than Pompeii but still quite large (Dianne: we once lost the son of friends there for about an hour). You’ll see houses, shops, ovens, a bakery, wells, fountains, and even toilets, as well as the town’s forum, temples, a theater, and baths.
The ancient city, in use from the 4th century BC through the 5th century AD, had about 50,000 residents at its peak. It was Rome's seaport and, as such, of great importance.
The ancient city, in use from the 4th century BC through the 5th century AD, had about 50,000 residents at its peak. It was Rome's seaport and, as such, of great importance.
Ostia was laid out along one main street, Decumanus Maximus, and more than one mile of the road has been excavated. Along this street you’ll see stores and markets, workshops, public buildings, warehouses, and a theater, built between 19 and 12 BC. Residential areas are along the side streets.
 |
| Ostia's splendid theater/arena |
Some house remains have mosaic floors or frescoes on the walls. These mosaic designs have been replicated since Roman times to decorate buildings around the world, including the Fascists' extensive use of them, such as in the flooring outside the railroad train station at Ostiense. Farther along is the forum, the center of life in Roman towns. Around the forum are the large public baths, a marketplace, a temple, and a Christian basilica.
 |
| Homes and shops |
Plan to spend 2 to 3 hours wandering through the ruins. The site is closed on Mondays. Check current hours and admission price (orari + tariffe) on this web site: http://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/it/home. Hours change with the time of year and day; the site generally opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes anywhere from 4:30 - 7 p.m. Ticket prices change as well, based on many factors; the current regular price is Euro 10. (Use your "translate" button in Google, for example, if the Italian doesn't make sense to you.)
 |
| Another view of the theater. |
Posted by Dianne Bennett and William Graebner at 10:56 AM
on TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
Rome Secod Time is pleased to have as guest blogger Martha Bakerjian. Martha is one of our favorite writers on travelling in Italy. She's knowledgeable and always has good ideas for places to visit and tips for the savvy traveler. In this post she guides us to Ostia Antica, a magnificent under-visited archaeological site less than an hour by train from Rome. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter! Martha has her own blog, Martha's Italy: https://www.marthasitaly.com, and she posts itineraries on Bindu.
Rome Secod Time is pleased to have as guest blogger Martha Bakerjian. Martha is one of our favorite writers on travelling in Italy. She's knowledgeable and always has good ideas for places to visit and tips for the savvy traveler. In this post she guides us to Ostia Antica, a magnificent under-visited archaeological site less than an hour by train from Rome. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter! Martha has her own blog, Martha's Italy: https://www.marthasitaly.com, and she posts itineraries on Bindu.
More about Ostia Antica: https://www.marthasitaly.com/articles/15/ostia-antica
Ostia Antica, Rome's Ancient Port
Rome Day Trip
While many tourists head to Pompeii to see an ancient Roman city, the archaeological site of Ostia Antica, Rome’s ancient port, makes an excellent alternative and is easily accessible from Rome. Although more compact than Pompeii, the complex is still huge and you can easily spend several hours wandering around the many old streets and alleys, shops, and houses.
Unlike Pompeii, Ostia Antica was not buried by a volcano but suffered from more gradual decay when it was abandoned around the 5th century due to the harbor silting up and other ports being built. Another difference is that ancient Pompeii was more of a resort city for wealthy Romans whereas Ostia Antica gives you a look at a typical Roman city. You can visit a bakery that served bread to thousands, shops where Romans bought their daily food, fountains and wells that supplied water, and even the public toilets. You can imagine the every day life of the ancient inhabitants.
The city is laid out along one long main street, Decumanus Maximus. As you walk along the street you’ll see remains of businesses, public buildings, baths, and houses on both sides. Also on the main street is the Roman theater, built between 19 and 12 BC, that held 3,000 to 4,000 spectators. More than a mile of the road has been excavated and open to the public.
Founded in the 4th century BC at the mouth of the Tiber River, Ostia got its name from the Latin word Ostium, meaning river’s mouth. Ostium was first a military fort, then the village developed near Ostia’s salt pans, a valued commodity in ancient times, and its salt became a source of wealth for Romans. As the port was the entrance to Rome, about 20 miles away, the city of Ostia Antica gained importance and grew. During the Age of Hadrian there were about 50,000 inhabitants.
How to Get to Ostia Antica from Rome
It’s easy to visit the excavations on a day trip from Rome. Take the Rome Metro Line B to the Piramide stop, then go outside the metro station to the Porto San Paolo station and take the Ostia-Lido train toward the Lido (the seaside), using the same ticket. At the Ostia Antica stop, go downstairs to cross the tracks, head straight out the station and over the blue pedestrian bridge, where signs will lead you to the excavations. The train also goes to to Ostia Lido or Ostia Stella Polare if you’re looking to spend some time at the beach.
If you prefer private transportation and a guided tour, book an Ancient Ostia half-day trip from Rome with pick up and drop off at your Rome hotel and a guided tour of Ostia Antica in English.
Overome also offers a small group guided tour in English. The guide meets you at the Piramide Station and accompanies you on the train (tickets to and from Rome are included in the tour price). After the tour, you can stay as long as you want.
Ostia Antica Tips and Visiting Information
The archaeological site is currently open from 8:30 to 16:30 (ticket office closes at 15:30), but it sometimes stays open later during summer. It’s closed on Mondays, January 1, May 1, and December 25. See the website to check times and ticket prices (orari & tariffe). Pick up a map of the site at the ticket office.
There’s a bar with drinks and some food and a small picnic area if you want to bring our own food. For a good meal, head into the little borgo (that you pass on your way from the train) where there are several restaurants. We had a very good and inexpensive lunch at Ristorante Cipriani, a typical Italian two-course meal with water and coffee was a mere 10 euros (in 2015).
Take some time to wander around the medieval borgo with its pretty houses and small castle. If you want to visit the castle, go on a Sunday when it’s open to visitors at 11 AM and noon (accompanied by a guide). A highlight of the castle is the Pope’s bath on the lower level.
http://fishandpeaches.blogspot.com/2012/02/ostia-antica.html
Ostia Antica
 |
| Ruins of the Terme dei Sette Sapiente, the baths of the wise seven in Ostia Antica. |
We spent most of a day at the Ostia Antica archeological site last week. It is next to Rome’s Fiumicino airport near where the Tiber River flows into the Mediterranean. (Ostium = mouth in Latin) Ostia was the port city for ancient Rome, but changes in the course of the Tiber, centuries of flooding, and population shifts partly due to malarial swamps left the coastal city abandoned and largely buried in mud by the time of the barbarian invasions (6th century A.D.). Although exposed marble was harvested to decorate medieval cathedrals in Orvieto and Pisa and Baroque-era churches in Rome, much of Ostia was left undisturbed until modern times; so in some ways it is like Pompeii without the volcano. Many mosaic floors remain beautifully intact. Wall frescoes are still visible here and there, but because this was a working-class city there are few of the big, heavily decorated domus houses found in Pompeii. Instead, most inhabitants lived in four-story insulae, or apartment blocks. Though most buildings are now roofless, some multistory examples are still standing, having lost only the top floor or two. When modern archeological work began there, what was missing compared to Pompeii were the furnishings and belongings of the inhabitants, since they had simply moved away, not been trapped in a sudden volcanic burial.
 |
| Striking mosaic floors remain in many buildings. |
 |
| Fresco of a chariot racer. |
 |
| An evocative residential street. |
But in some ways Ostia Antica is a better place to visit than Pompeii. For one thing, it is easy to get to and inexpensive to visit. The train from near the Piramide Metro B stop in Rome costs only a bus ticket to ride (currently €1 = $1.32) and takes only 30 minutes; access to the archeological park is only €6.50.
 |
| The gateway to Ostia Antica is this 1930s railway station near the Piramide in Rome. If you have time, check out the murals carved into the stucco walls in the main hall. |
“Park” is the right term to describe Ostia today. The ancient city had about 50,000 inhabitants, so it covered a lot of territory. Today the exposed ruins are set off by a pleasant scattering of iconic Roman umbrella pines and cypresses, and, aside from a few modern roads and incursions, the unexcavated fields are currently dressed in green winter grass.
 |
| The Decumanus, the main east-west street of Ostia Antica. Comfortable shoes and flexible ankles are recommended. |
 |
| Above, the theater, which was half again higher in ancient times. Below, the Tiber River just north of the central Forum. |
One reason we visit recovered cities like Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia is to visualize what life in ancient times was like. Ostia is good for that because many of the buildings are still tall enough to give a 3-D sense of space. The large theater, the temples around the forum, some of the bath complexes and the multistory apartment insulae help define the volume. And several of these have viewing platforms at their highest points making the city layout and scale comprehensible.
 |
| Above, part of the luxurious house called Domus of Cupid and Psyche with marble facings still in place. Below, the rotary grain mills in the panificio or bakery. The spool-shaped top grinds against the cone it sits on, with grain fed in the top and flour sifting out the bottom, |
 |
| It looks like a modern Roman cafe bar, but it's an ancient Roman cafe bar. |
 |
| A row of shops faces the Decumanus street. |
Ancient Ostia was an extremely busy port. Food, manufactured goods, and raw materials rich and mundane came ashore there. Just beyond the theater is the large Piazzale delle Corporazioni, or Plaza of the Guilds. Around the perimeter were the front offices of trading companies and guilds, maybe 70 or 80. What remain today are the black and white mosaic pavements that advertised the trading specialties. Many were ship outfitters; others were dealers in grain from Africa, Sicily and Egypt to feed the hungry Romans. A few dealt in exotic animals and valuables like ivory.
 |
| The theater looks out over the Piazzale delle Corporazioni. The offices around the perimeter are sign-posted by graphic mosaics. The one below is thought to have been a vendor of wild animals. |
 |
| Above, a sailors' guild with two ships headed toward a lighthouse. Below, the elephant advertises ivory from traders in Sabrata (Libia). |
 |
| The inscription refers to shipowners from Karalitani (Cagliari, Sardinia). |
Like other Roman cities of its time, Ostia had a wealth of bath complexes, both public and private. The large Forum Baths still have several of the spacious soaking and bathing pools in place, though with most of the marble linings having been scavenged by barbarians, openings have appeared into the heating chambers below, where slaves stoked wood fires. Broken walls reveal terracotta ducts within that carried hot air from below to keep the public spaces warm. Some of the smaller baths in Ostia were owned by individual guilds making them a bit like country clubs for the working class.
 |
| The view from one of the warm rooms in the Forum Baths. Below, a soaking tub with some marble facings remaining on the steps up to it. |
 |
| A marble-clad bench in the Forum Baths backs up against a heated wall. The terracotta conduits (also visible in the photo below) carried hot air from the furnace fires below, up behind the marble facings and out chimneys openings in the roof. |
 |
| Half of the public toilet facility near the Forum. Water flowed continuously in a channel below the benches. The hole in the doorway floor stone is the pivot point for a door. |
The descriptive signage and maps posted around Ostia Antica are excellent (in Italian and English), but we also had fun exploring the many unmarked features. The whole park is remarkably open despite necessary barriers around fragile art and structures. You might find a surprise mosaic floor, or a steep stairway leading to upper stories and rooftop views, or even a subterranean temple of Mithras.
 |
| A niche for the lares, or household gods. |
 |
| Climbing to an overlook platform we found that what were once ancient warehouses now store bits of antiquity—column capitals and bases, inscriptions, parts of statues. |
 |
| Cupid and Psyche in the house of that name. |
 |
| Peering through an iron grating in the back of Ostia's largest temple (to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva), I found a cache of ancient Roman lead pipes recovered from around the city. |
 |
| A statue of Mithras sacrificing a bull is the highlight of this subterranean mithraeum. |
Despite spending the whole day there, we didn’t see it all, not even all the best features, so I’ll be going back later in the spring. Maybe some of the large floor mosaics that were covered with protective tarps during our visit will be revealed then, though I’ll understand if they aren’t. It’s a difficult choice between making the ancient artwork available and delaying its inevitable decay by hiding it out of the weather and away from depredations by careless visitors. In some areas we came across painful examples of how hard it is to fight entropy—the relentless tendency toward the simplest state of being—with black and white floor mosaic tesserae crumbling off into the dirt.
 |
| Entropy |
With luck you’ll get to Rome and Ostia Antica before entropy has its way and everything crumbles to dust.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
at 3:59 PM