OSTIA ANTICA

 Ostia Antica

 

Originally a colony of Rome, Ostia grew to become the major port of the city. It was situated on the mouth of the Tiber, the word Ostia meaning mouth. The town's growth started in the late Republic, but expanded rapidly under the Emperors Claudius and Trajan. The town was deserted after Rome's fall in 476 AD, and the buildings fell into ruins which were in turn covered by sand and mud from the Tiber. The ancient town remained farmland until excavations took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and now most of the old town is uncovered, giving the visitor an idea of what life was like in an Ancient Roman commercial town during the height of the Empire.

 The main attractions at the Ostia antica are the forum, ancient apartment buildings, the baths and the Piazza of the Corporations and the amphitheatre. The Forum, with its Capitol and the temple are magnificent. I found the amphitheatre amazing .It has been excavated almost as it existed. The Piazza of the Corporations, behind the theatre, preserves the offices of trade guilds or merchants from various parts of the world, each office identified by its mosaic floor. The ancient apartment buildings that are very well preserved were the home of the poor dock workers living in large apartment buildings. These buildings can be explored to one storey in height, with narrow stairways and corridors leading to small rooms. There are also the remains of more wealthy houses, such as the House of Cupid and Psyche, with very rich marble decorations. One gets a feel of how these people lived 2,000 years ago. There also is a small museum that contains the main finds from the excavations, ranging from cult statues to small bits of sculpture.

There are other attractions in the vicinity of the excavation site .The ancient warehouses and docks are well preserved and look very much like those of the 19th century. Ostia Castle is close to Ostia Antica. It was built in 1483 by Giuliano della Rovere, who later became Pope Julius II. Much of the building material consisted of bricks pilfered from Ostia Antica.

 

Ostia Lido beach

Ostia beach is located about 30 kms west of Rome's historic center. It is the longest and most popular beach because of its proximity to Rome .The beach stretches over 10 kms from the mouth of the Tiber to Capacotta. Ostia Lido has more than 50 private beach areas along the sandy coastline and I was told that it can accommodate more than 50,000 Roman beach-goers on Sundays during summers.  The beach definitely is not as glamorous as beaches in Europe, but it is good for a break from the crowd of Rome.  The beaches are known for their dark sand something that I saw in Kovalam beach in India. While most of the beaches are private beaches, where there is an entry fee and user charges for availing facilities like beach chairs, lockers etc , there are public beaches too. But there are no barriers to stroll around in the private beach areas too. Since, Ostia Lido is just about half an hour drive on the local Ostia lido train form Pirammide station , people from every nook and corner of Rome head towards Ostia Lido during summers making it very crowded. I visited Ostia beach in early May, when summers just set in and the beaches had moderate crowd and few isolated stretches too.

There are plenty of good seafood restaurants, and of course a lot of ice-cream parlors selling that creamy and delicious ice-cream that Rome is renowned for. Like any seaside town, Ostia has a bubbling nightlife, of the decidedly commercial variety. The beaches have the usual sites typically seen on any developed beach like people sunbathing, beach volleyball, sand sculptures. There are plenty of vendors selling beach wears, sunglasses, sun screen lotions .I also spotted a few masseurs too. The beaches are located near sand dunes and very much like dessert –dry and wild. No palms, not much greenery. The beaches are family beaches but some amount of nudity is tolerated. I could spot many women going topless too. In nutshell, a good time pass and a welcome break from Rome’s crowded street after a visit to Ostia antica’s ruin, which may be tiring on a sunny day.