eartheum.com - Ostia Antica
The mosaics here are beautifully preserved and easily accessible
August 14, 2017
Ostia Antica
Italy
Buildings, bathhouses and mosaics
Ostia Antica is a large archaeological site about 30 minutes outside of Rome. It's the remains of what was the harbor city for ancient Rome at the mount of the Tiber River. Over the past centuries, silting has pushed the sea 3 kilometers away.
I took a train from the Pyramid station in Rome to Ostia. It was really easy and only took about a half an hour. It was totally worth it, and I got a lot out of such a short-day trip. First of all, it wasn't crowded and seemed like an undiscovered destination relative to the other major attractions (Colosseum, etc). My first impression of the ruins were pretty lackluster. But, there farther I walked into the ruins the more impressed I was. I couldn't believe you could walk right up to a mosaic floor! And walk into the ruins themselves. There were toilets, statues, columns, rooms, roads and stars that were all touchable and explorable. The ruins are very well preserved, and you can really get a sense of what life in ancient Rome might have been like. I highly recommend this easy day-trip out of the busy center
Ostia, Italy
Other Locations Nearby