Necropoli, Roads, Theatre, Forum, Baths and more...
	Go back in time and imagine a day in a lively old roman city, the harbor of Rome, the condominium buildigs, their shops and restaurants

Walk the 2000 years old city, the necropoli, the port of Rome, the museum. With possible extensions to the oldest Jewish synagogue

Not as famous as Pompeii, Ostia is a well-preserved Roman town just a few miles from Rome. The name "Ostia" comes from the Latin Ostium, which means "mouth". Indeed, Ostia lies at the mouth of the River Tiber, which runs through Rome.

Ostia soon became the main passage to the sea for the Romans. It was from here that they set off for the victorious Punic wars which signaled the start of their expansion in the Mediterranean.

The main difference between Ostia and Pompeii was that Pompeii was more of a summer resort, a place where rich Romans would spend their holidays relaxing in their luxurious "Domuses". Ostia, on the other hand, was a sea port where people would work. It had shipbuilding yards, apartment blocks, temples, taverns and grocery stores, public toilets and warehouses over for the goods which arrived from all over the Roman Empire.

Unlike Pompeii, Ostia was not destroyed by a terrible natural event. Rather, it was slowly abandoned following the demise of the Empire. The area ceased to be drained and became a marsh. Ostia's beautiful marble and mosaic decorations were stolen over the course of the centuries to build churches in the rest of Italy (for example, Pisa's famous Duomo). Worse still, Ostia's marble and mosaics were even melted down to make lime-mortar.

Today, Ostia is a very quiet, romantic place, a far cry from the chaos and tourism that reign in Pompeii, Ostia's southern sister. As we stroll beneath Ostia's beautiful umbrella-shaped pines, we discover ancient necropolis, private homes, condominium blocks, shops, taverns and much, much more!

 Photo gallery

 Reservation

No reservation required to visit the Ostia Antica "Scavi"

 Entrance Fee

Ostia Antica "Scavi" Euros: 6.50 per person

 Transportation

By car it takes around 30 minutes each way. We might reserve it for you (car & driver) if you choose this option.
By public transportation, there is a subway from Roma Ostiense Station (downtown) in direction of "Lido di Roma" you leave it at the station called "Ostia Antica" (will take around 25 minutes). As soon you are out of the station you'll see a blue foot bridge in front of you, cross it and keep going straight till you'll reach a fountain, cross the road in front of it and again keep going straight till the gate of the excavations (less then 2 minutes).

 Walking difficulty

Ostia Is a wide area of excavations, flat but quite uneven, no need to climb uless you want to (some insulas have steps to upper floors). It is about 3 hours of walking and whenever possible sitting on the ruins to rest a while. You will need good comfortable shoes; my mamma says it's easier with a walking stick

 Duration

The tour last around 3 hours plus we have about 30 minutes each way for the trip to/from Ostia