On our recent road trip through Sicily we decided to add a couple of nights on the mainland of Italy before flying back from Rome. While it was tempting to head into Rome itself to see familiar and favorite sites, we opted instead to stay near the airport and visit the ancient site of Ostia Antica. An ancient port city of the Roman Empire which has been remarkably well preserved.
The site ticket actually includes five distinct locations all related to the Ostia Antica archeological site. These are all within a stone’s throw of Rome’s international airport and in fact many of the discoveries were made while excavating to create the huge FCO airport itself.
On our first trip to Rome we visited Ostia Antica by train and had fond memories. That was well over 20 years ago.
Ostia Antica Archeological Park
Arriving at the gates of the Ostia Antica Archeological Park we were surprised to see all the buses. Schools of young children, each group wearing the same-colored caps, were out on a field day to visit and learn about the site! Good for them.
The Ostia Antica site is simply huge. It extends over 1.5 km². It’s like a whole ancient Roman city complete with amphitheater, commercial districts, religious sites, bath houses, homes, and gates to the city.
Many structures have two or even three stories still standing and you can climb up some of these to get a bird’s-eye view of the site. Pretty amazing when you consider that the Ancient Roman’s lived their lives amongst these buildings and here we are walking over the same streets and on the foundations of the buildings they once occupied.
You can easily spend a full day here and definitely need at least a few hours just to hit the highlights. It’s fun to wander around the ancient city ruins and stumble upon a colorful fresco, or a beautiful mosaic floor, or a sculpture. It’s impossible to see it all.
There is also a small museum on site with the more well-preserved artifacts which is a must-see.
Highlights of the archeological park include the Capitolium, Forum baths, Roman theatre and Piazzale delle Corporazioni, as well as the Terme dei Sette Sapienti and Caseggiato degli Aurighi.
We were glad to visit in April as it was already pretty hot in the sun. Last time we had come in the summer and it was extremely hot. While our memories had faded, there were definitely more roped-off areas than what we remembered on our first visit. We also saw ongoing excavation as well as preservation efforts taking place in the park.
At the time of our visit, they were working on the amphitheater. Built under the reign of Augustus the theatre dates back to the 1st century BC. At the time it could accommodate 2500 people and eventually it was expanded to 4000 spectators. Today, it hosts various performances.
We have mixed feelings about converting ancient amphitheaters into venues for current events. On one hand it takes away from the authentic look of the stone ruins while on the other hand it puts the theater back into serving its intended purpose and helps generate funds for preservation and maintenance efforts.
We crossed the city lengthwise and zigzagged along the streets until our legs were going to give out. It is definitely a great historical site that takes you back in time. We’d rank it up there alongside Pompeii and Herculaneum and other ancient Roman archeological sites we’ve had the pleasure of visiting.
Castello di Giulio II
With the same ticket we also visited the small medieval castle and village just beside the bus parking of Ostia Antica. As you round the castle and step in through the gate you are again transported back in time to medieval times with a small chapel and ancient buildings in a stone square.
We wished we had more time to enjoy some of the local restaurants that had popped up in the village, but we had opted to eat at the cafeteria-style shop within Ostia Antica. We would definitely have enjoyed this place instead had we known so save your appetite if you’re following along in the same itinerary.
The castle itself is a fun place to visit. The walls were literally 10-12 feet thick. While renovations were ongoing you could visit a good part of it and even get up onto the turrets and the rooftop for some great views.
Do pop into the small chapel and wander the streets of the tiny village too. Enjoy and support one of the small restaurants or shops if you’re able.
Archeological area of Claudius and Trajan Harbours
Next, we headed out by car to the Ancient Port area of Ostia (again part of the same ticket). This open-air area showcases some of the port structures that the Roman’s built including a huge hexagonal basin that remains full of water today.
Unfortunately, the rather large site covers a lot of ground and most of the artifacts are not much more than small remnants of the foundations that once stood.
There is a two-story structure (which used to house) where you could climb up and see a little of the basin, but the brush and weeds have grown so high that they now obscure the view. While historically relevant and an important site it would not be a top priority to visit if pressed for time.
Museum of the Roman Ships
Another site right next to the airport terminals is a small naval museum that houses a few of the Roman wooden ships that were unearthed and preserved from archeological digs while building the airport. These are mostly just the bottom frames of what was once a boat, but it is still quite amazing to see the remains of wooden boats that actually carried Romans so long ago.
Necropolis of Porto
The fifth site included in the ticket was the Necropoli di Porto, an ancient Roman cemetery, but we searched for this with Google and Apple Maps and ended up at a dead-end (actually two separate dead-ends) and had to throw in the towel as we were due at the airport. We assume that this may have been more of the same in terms of unearthed foundations of and we had seen burial grounds at the temples in Sicily too, so we were not all that disappointed.
Where we stayed
We opted to rent a car to have some flexibility in getting around and found a hotel on the coast with a sea view in Ostia. There were no real well-known brands and none of the hotels looked fantastic but the online marketing material for the Smy Aran Blu Roma Mare hotel on the coast looked ok.
Upon arrival however, the hotel was somewhat tired, and we had some regrets but were determined to make the most of it. Between broken furniture, a patio door that wouldn’t lock and a blood-stained pillow we almost made a run for it but opted to put up with the place for the two nights we had booked (and already pre-paid!). To make matters worse someone got stuck in the elevator on our first morning and we didn’t want to chance that happening to us, so we ended up doing 5 flights of stairs up and down so as not to tempt fate!
It was strongly suggested to park the car inside for the night (at an additional 8 euros which we were never charged at least) but it didn’t inspire much confidence in the area. The strip did look rundown and like something that may have been popular in the 70s or 80s. One of the restaurants we visited locked the door after letting us in and out!
While we survived the night and made the most of it, we would instead recommend staying at the airport where you can both get a more modern (clean and working) hotel room as well rent a car just for the day. The sites are all as close if not closer to the airport as they are from the marina area so this may even save you some travel time.
Conclusion
We were glad to have gotten to revisit Ostia Antica and happy to have come in April for the cooler weather and smaller crowds. One should definitely plan a full day to see Ostia Antica and the related sites. Bring lots of sunscreen and a good hat as well as water since concessions are few and far between.
We did enjoy a couple of good restaurants in Ostia but you could easily stay elsewhere and drive to the seaside restaurants if you choose to do so.
Driving around Ostia was intimidating at first because of all the negative things we had heard about the roads and the drivers. Perhaps Miami driving has prepared us for Italy and my husband didn’t have much trouble jockeying for position at the stop lights with the locals. Those that are not comfortable around aggressive drivers should probably not attempt driving here.
And do keep in mind that it’s possible to visit the impressive archeological site of Ostia Antica as a day trip from Rome. The train station is only a few steps away from the entrance.