Our First Day Trip - Ostia Antica

So far all of our sight seeing has been limited to Rome. But yesterday we changed that with our first trip outside of the city.


CJ and his class took a field trip to Ostia Antica. And after I read about where they were going, I decided we would go too!


Ostia - which gets its name from its location at the mouth of the Tiber - was ancient Rome's main commercial port and military base for hundreds of years (Republican times and at the beginning of the Roman Empire). The city was so large, that at one time it may have had nearly 100,000. But the city began to decline in about the 4th century AD. (A reduction in trade, the silting of the harbor which was central to every aspect of city life, and a malaria epidemic eventually combined to devastate the city).



The amazing thing is that Ostia became buried in sand (from the river) and as a result was very well preserved. While Pompeii's covering was fast, Ostia was emptied and covered more slowly. But unlike Pompeii - which was more of a retreat community - Ostia has better examples of what a community that housed all types of people living in a typical Roman city would look like. You can see every type of building you would find in a city - baths, restaurants, apartments, public meeting spaces, warehouses and storage facilities, etc.


After examining the map - and several guidebooks - I concluded that this was easily a trip I could do with the kids. Ostia is only 30 minutes away by train, and required only getting on and getting off - no switching, no complicated bus or train routes etc. So I decided we'd go.


We set off at about 9:45 and after a 25 minute walk to the train station (located next to the Pyramid we saw on Saturday that the kids really liked) hopped aboard the train to Ostia. Once again, this entire trip (train part included) was a lesson in inaccessibility. The train station had stairs at both the entry and exit points. (In fact in Ostia you take a sky bridge over the highway - which I can't see how you would cross if you don't do stairs). We had to bring the stroller with us because of the walk to the train and the fact I knew we'd need it in the afternoon, but once we got there it was more of a hassle to tote it around. Ostia's roads are "paved" with large stones (about 1 -2 feet wide) and several inches apart. Not something a stroller can be easily pushed on. (If Augustine had been small enough for a hiking backpack that would have been the best approach). Nonetheless, it was good we had it as in the afternoon both napped in it.



Anyway, we had a great time. The kids loved Ostia for several reasons. The kids favorite features:

• - No cars! There were able to run around without fear of getting run over.


• - There were lots of places to hide and get lost. Which they did a few times. I had to yell to them and follow their voices to find them.


• - There were (weed) flowers all over so Celia was able to pick herself a little bouquet.


• - The pavers inspired a myriad of hopping games.

- They saw a tractor doing work on the premises. (Of course that was in no way related to the fact that we were in an ancient city. But what kid doesn't love a tractor!)

- We crossed a little bridge at one point which Augustine swore covered water with crocodiles in it.

My favorite features... (Well, the no cars thing was pretty nice.) But I'd have to say that what I most enjoyed was being in the middle of the city and imaging what it would have been like during its hay-day. For example, the baths, and some of the houses that had been occupied by more wealthy families had these amazing floor tiles and wall frescoes. It must have been beautiful when it was in use. It was also nice to be out of the city for a bit and to see some grass and enjoy the fresh air. Fortunately, CJ got a few breaks during the day so he was able to have lunch with us and point out a few of the highlights that weren't in my guidebooks. I've included some of my favorite shots from the day.