Ostia Antica

If you haven’t got enough of Roman ruins yet then you shouldn’t miss the local version of Pompei, located just 30 km east of Rome. It’s accessible quite easily, a cheap suburban train leaving from Piramide metro station will take you there in less than half an hour. Ostia Antica was founded several centuries before Christ to serve as Rome harbour, in the location where one of the branches of the Tiberim River ends. The word ‘Ostia’ has a Latin origin meaning mouth. Ostia was a considerably a big city during that time, and expanded massively in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The tour might take long so it is advisable to bring in some snacks and plenty of water.

Many palaces, frescoes, mosaics and statues can be discovered while visiting this archaeological site, but the most impressive building is probably the Theater, restored in 1927. It is still used to host performances, shows and theatre pieces. In the following centuries Ostia Antica slowly fell into oblivion and became easy prey of invaders. Completely abandoned after the fall of Roman Empire, it served as building material for the construction of new palaces and monuments. It was only during Fascist Era, after 1938, that excavations were carried out bringing it back to light.