Ostia Antica — Attraction in Rome

It was even better than I thought it would be. Listening to Rick Steves' audio guide ahead of time totally helped with navigating around the site. I also purchased a very thorough map (Ostia Antica Modern Passion) for a few euros that was recommended at the ticket office. It came in very handy because it's actually quite a long walk, and almost impossible to see everything in 3 hours. This map actually helped in prioritizing the must see sights. Our online ticket timed entry was 9:30am, but you can just purchase it there. There really wasn't a whole lot of people around on a weekday. There's a free public restroom and vending machines with water next to the ticket office. The only other restroom is near the café.

Just start on the main road and work your way up. Everything is well marked with interesting facts and descriptions. It was amazing to see the well-preserved buildings and mosaics intact. It didn't seem like that in Pompeii. Then again, this ancient port city had been covered by sand dunes for centuries compared to a pyroclastic flow & ash. It's great that some of the dedication plaques and mosaics have not been unearthed and placed in a museum. Most of them are the originals. The statues and other artifacts are in the museum on site. Do not leave without visiting that museum. It's next door to the café.

What I love is that they have steps leading up to viewing points. There was one at the Baths of Neptune and another near the Thermopolium of Via di Diana. Take advantage of these viewing areas. You'll be amazed at what you can see up there. There is one at the Theater overlooking the Plaza of the Guilds, but the theater is currently under renovation or construction. I didn't get that chance, but there is a lovely view of it from the corporate guild as you're walking around that square. It was interesting to look at all the mosaic merchant signs. You can get an idea of what they were selling by the picture & design.

I'm not going to ruin it for you. There is so much more to see and write about. It's a must visit in my opinion. Especially if you're into seeing what Roman city life was like back in that time period. There are birds and flowers all over. Mainly just poppies that randomly pop up here and there. It's peaceful & quiet compared to Ancient Rome. I don't think many people know about it. There is a cute café, bookstore, and museum past the warehouses (Horrea) to the right towards the Tiber River. It was a very relaxing time. Check it out if you're staying anywhere near...

This was a most unexpected highlight of our recent trip to Rome. We stayed in the town after a few nights in Rome so we could see the archeological park and then transfer to the nearby airport.

Some background on Ostia: This was the founded in the 7th century BC and by the time of Julius Caesar was the main port of Rome, dealing with the grain imports that kept the plebs fed and moderately happy. It was a large city with a theatre, temples, walls and warehouses. A canal was dug to enable large barges to reach the city and things continued like that for a few hundred years until the port silted up. The town then became a holiday residence for the aristocracy and slowly declined as the empire faded. After repeated raids by Arab slavers (you won't hear about them on a BLM march!) the city was abandoned and became a quarry for Rome.

When we arrived we were the only visitors there and we walked through the necropolis in total peace. The sheer size of the place and the number of buildings was a bit of a shock to me. I'm used to visiting sites that are basically just a foundation level of stone or bricks but a lot of the walls were intact at Ostia, some to the height of several storeys. There were lots of ornate sarcophogi and also family vaults for storing remains.

Some buildings had been partially restored which was fantastic as it gave you a chance to experience what they were actually like. The temples and theatre were particularly magnificent and the theatre is apparently still in use today. We continued walking to the Capitoline building which is another impressive edifice and also saw a Mithraeum. The cult of Mithras was a competitor to Christianity for a while in ancient Rome and there were several mithraeums in the city.

We climbed to the top of the castrum to get an idea of the size. Apparently only about 25% of the city has been excavated, mostly the central public buildings with the residential areas remaining buried, for now. We were now getting a bit jaded and we'd seen around two thirds of what has been excavated so we sat and had a coffee and cake before making our way back past the forum and fire station, via a display of the better preserved sarcophagi. We had spent about three hours in the ruins which was twice as long as the Colosseum and far more interesting. Somewhere to return to, preferably when it is warmer so the mosaics...

Completely underrated! I would've done this before the Colosseum, ANYDAY and everyday!

This place has much more than what you'll get at the Colosseum. It has more history, a lot more to walk and see, more history and older!

Completely worth the golf cart ride to the end with a tour guide for 10 mins ish... You get more history info, which, for me, was fascinating!

Matteo was my tour guide and I wanted a PRIVATE tour, mostly because of the knowledge he had of this place. I had so many questions and since he goes over the same info daily numerous times, he sped through a lot and so I continued asking questions. 🙋🏻‍♀️ #SorryNotSorry and I would ask so much more!

⚠️ (golf cart ride) For Super religious people, your bubble might get popped 😂😂on your beliefs. I loved it since I study different religions and am more spiritual and agnostic. It just confirmed what I already had studied. But if you're not paying attention you could miss what they say so 🤷🏻‍♀️.

This place was absolutely a treasure! I learned so much and really was inspired to be in a place that was, in its time, one of the biggest ports and central markets. It felt as if I was walking thousands of years later in what would've been their 'New York' or big city... Which can open up a lot of questions about where we go in the future... I won't digress. Lol

I went during a weekday in October. Take a camera, comfy shoes, look nice if you like being in front of the camera, and open your mind to a different time. The weather was nice for this adventure. If you go in the summer, I just wouldn't! I it would be too hot! But you know your body better than me 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Most of my pics from here are on my camera, maybe I'll add more later, to this review.

But tickets in advance if your visiting during high time. Judge timing well because you'll work up an appetite being here. If you like to eat during Italian off hours you aren't going to find much after 3:30pm until after 7pm.

Plan to spend a good 3 to 4 hours if you want to explore a lot of their areas. It's big!

Magical, mystical...