Rome

from €49.00 EUR
Duration: 4 Hours
Organized by: City Wonders
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Discover the remains of Ostia Antica that was founded in 4th century BC, once hosted a hundred thousand Roman people and has been preserved beautifully until today.

You will leave the center of Rome with train and with your professional guide, you will explore the ruins and learn about the history of Ostia. On your way, be ready to be astonished by the well-preserved remains of thermal baths, warehouses, taverns and theaters. Step on the main Decumanus Maximus road while your guide tells you stories about the remains as if they are alive. Be impressed by the status on both sides of the road and feel like you are in fact in the ancient Rome.

Adorned by an impressive mosaic that picturizes the sea god being drawn by a cart with 4 horses in the front, Baths of Neptune is waiting for you. Go inside the amphitheater and imagine like you are living in 12 BC, roaring with the crowd – just like 3.500 Roman spectators did in the past when the amphitheater was first built.

You should also check the communal Forica, a public toilet with a marble bench on which 20 well-spaced holes are aligned, each on the walls of this large room. Choose one of the holes and let’s confess – this is one of the most natural needs of a human being!

When you complete the tour, you can either enjoy more out of the Ostia Antica or you cango to the beach that is close to where you completed your tour. Or, as the third option, you can have a good and quality conversation with your guide on your way back to Rome.

Highlights

Don’t miss the train journey to the historical harbor town of Rome,
Stroll around on the streets where once ancient Romans walked,
Try public toilets communal toilets!
You choose: Go to the beach or enjoy & explore Ostia more.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation up to 1 day before tour starts.

Useful Info

If we believe Virgil, it was on this, the left bank of the Tiber estuary (ostium) that Aeneas, the Father of the Latin race, landed after fleeing from Troy.

What was an area of marshland was doubtless very soon colonised for its salt and as early as the fourth century BC it had become Rome’s official port. After serving as a military arsenal during the wars against Carthage, Ostia rapidly became the jumping-off point for Roman expansion in the Mediterranean.

Its golden age was the early empire, when it was a flourishing centre of international commerce and home to some 50,000 inhabitants. Into its wharves and warehouses flowed provisions from all over the Roman world, the most vital being the grain which fed the capital. But already Ostia’s storage capacity was proving unequal to the demand.

In addition, shipping using the Tiber mouth had to contend with shoals and sudden squalls. The emperors Claudius (41—54) and Hadrian (117-138) created artificial harbours further to the north that enjoyed the advantage of being linked directly to the sea. This marked the beginning of Ostia’s decline, a process hastened by the silting up of the port and the gradual retreat of the sea. In the fifth century, the town was abandoned by the last survivors of malaria epidemics.

Location

12 Via Gesualdo Ostia Antica, Lido di Ostia, Lazio 00119