Ancient Ostia

Duration: 4 hours

Ostia Antica (in Latin ostium) was an Imperial Roman City founded by King Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome, in the 7th century B.C.

Originally it was a fortress and later it became an important point of distribution of goods coming in  from the Mediterranean.

The city was given a Theatre, a Forum, an Aqueduct during Emperor Augustus’s reign and when the Portus Claudius and the Portus of Trajan were constructed the city became even more important.
In 1557 the city’s river overflowed causing a major flood and the beginning of Ostia’s decline.
Your tour will begin in the middle of the ancient ruins and our guide will tell you about what happened culturally and socially in this ancient city.

First our guide will show you the main road of the city, the Decumanus maximus, then you will see the grander Bath of Neptune where there are some special mosaics depicting Neptune and Aphrodite.
Next you will visit the Theatre, built by Agrippa, and the House of Diana where you can admire a beautiful view and the Thermopolium, an ancient osteria where there is a splendid fresco.
After that you will visit the Museum which has a great collection of archeological artifacts, then the Forum, the Capitolium (the main Temple), the House of Cupid and Psyche, which is beautifully decorated.