Sunday trip to Ostia Antica and the beach

Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia, that is the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, 15 miles (25 kilometers) southwest of Rome. "Ostia" is a derivation of "os", the Latin word for "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but due to silting the site now lies 2 miles from the sea. The site is noted for the excellent preservation of its ancient buildings, magnificent frescoes and impressive mosaics. The oldest archaeological remains so far discovered date back to only the 4th century BC. The most ancient buildings currently visible are from the 3rd century BC.


During Julius Caesar's time as Dictator, one of his improvements to the city was his establishment of better supervision of the supply of grain to Rome. Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century, reaching a peak of some 100,000 inhabitants in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Today it is open to the public as a tourist attraction.

After visiting Ostia Antica we took the metro to the station by the sea and ate dinner at a seaside resort. It was a warm day and turned out to be very enjoyable. - Nancy