On Friday of our week in Rome, we decided to spring for our other ticketed entry site: Ostia Antica (€8/each).
Ostia Antica is the ancient port of Rome. Although Rome embraces the Tiber/Tevere River as it winds through the heart of the city, the major warehouses and docks were located a few miles closer to the coast at Ostia. The ancient city of Ostia is now a partially conserved and refurbished archeological site.
It's compared to Pompeii in terms of being a unique glimpse into Ancient Roman life. You can walk down the streets of the city, climb the stairs into apartment buildings, sit in the seats of the amphitheater, pretend to order a drink at the local bar, stand on the marble floors and mosaics of the bath house, and duck into warehouses and buildings where the residents lived.
So, we downloaded Rick Steve's audio guide (FREE as a podcast on iTunes!) and set off.
From Laura and Jason's on the north side of Rome, we could take the metro to the end of the line, hop on a commuter train, and be out at Ostia in an hour and 20 minutes.
We spent several hours wandering around the site - there were a couple groups of school children there, and some other independent tourists, but by and large, there was a very spacious, uncrowded feel, which was a nice change from elbowing our way through the throngs of downtown Rome!
I've always been a fan of "experiences" when it comes to studying history. When I was a kid, my family went to a museum in Wyoming where there were costumes and various indigenous houses set up that my sisters and I could climb into, around and, and play make-believe with. When I was in high school my favorite history event was a medieval feast that we put on, complete with costumes that we made (I sewed a dress and made one of those cone-hats with the netting streaming out of the top... Yeah, pretty cool!). The trend has continued into my adulthood - if I'm going to do something "history" related, I will choose an interactive experience of some kind like walking on actual streets and climbing into 2,000 year old buildings any day over walking through a museum and looking at objects in a glass display case.
As a result, Ostia Antica was definitely one of our favorite tourism undertakings in Rome. It was expensive, but for a fun splurge, we felt it was well worth the investment.
- Dani
Ostia Antica is the ancient port of Rome. Although Rome embraces the Tiber/Tevere River as it winds through the heart of the city, the major warehouses and docks were located a few miles closer to the coast at Ostia. The ancient city of Ostia is now a partially conserved and refurbished archeological site.
It's compared to Pompeii in terms of being a unique glimpse into Ancient Roman life. You can walk down the streets of the city, climb the stairs into apartment buildings, sit in the seats of the amphitheater, pretend to order a drink at the local bar, stand on the marble floors and mosaics of the bath house, and duck into warehouses and buildings where the residents lived.
So, we downloaded Rick Steve's audio guide (FREE as a podcast on iTunes!) and set off.
From Laura and Jason's on the north side of Rome, we could take the metro to the end of the line, hop on a commuter train, and be out at Ostia in an hour and 20 minutes.
We spent several hours wandering around the site - there were a couple groups of school children there, and some other independent tourists, but by and large, there was a very spacious, uncrowded feel, which was a nice change from elbowing our way through the throngs of downtown Rome!
I've always been a fan of "experiences" when it comes to studying history. When I was a kid, my family went to a museum in Wyoming where there were costumes and various indigenous houses set up that my sisters and I could climb into, around and, and play make-believe with. When I was in high school my favorite history event was a medieval feast that we put on, complete with costumes that we made (I sewed a dress and made one of those cone-hats with the netting streaming out of the top... Yeah, pretty cool!). The trend has continued into my adulthood - if I'm going to do something "history" related, I will choose an interactive experience of some kind like walking on actual streets and climbing into 2,000 year old buildings any day over walking through a museum and looking at objects in a glass display case.
As a result, Ostia Antica was definitely one of our favorite tourism undertakings in Rome. It was expensive, but for a fun splurge, we felt it was well worth the investment.
- Dani
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