Today I explored the ancient ruined port city of Ostia Antica, a 30 minute train ride outside of Rome. In its heyday, the city boasted 50,000 residents. Now, all that’s left are ruins of that vibrant, bustling city. You might think there’s not much to see there, but you’d be very mistaken. Before catching the train this morning, I stopped at Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the largest Catholic basilicas in Rome. Then I grabbed a maritozzi and “hot chocolate” from Pasticceria Regoli. A miscommunication ended up with me getting a warm milk with cocoa sprinkled on top instead of hot chocolate. Hardly the rich Italian indulgence I was hoping for!
The train ride was short and easy, and soon I was wandering around ruins dating back to the 3rd century B.C. As much as I’m not a history buff, and the details didn’t interest me much, just wandering around streets that were walked on over two thousand years ago was a treat. Being in a place like that only serves to reinforce that our American history is such a small part of the history of the world.
I followed Rick Steves’ audio guide to get an overview and then wandered on my own for another two hours or so. While much of the city is in ruins, there are some well-preserved statues and monuments, beautiful tile mosaics, a theater, and even latrines (with zero privacy and a communal sponge in place of toilet paper!). In one area around a square, there were many merchant stalls, each with a mosaic in front to describe what kind of business it was.
After visiting the ancient ruins, I spent a short time wandering around the current town of Ostia Antica before heading back to the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome. Trastevere has a reputation for its quaint streets and piazzas and I was determined to get there before I head home. I spent a couple of hours just wandering all of the narrow lanes and decided to have dinner at a little trattoria with outdoor seating on a piazza. A parmesan stuffed ravioli with butter and sage sauce and tiramisu sure hit the spot after all that walking!
Tomorrow morning I will toss my coin in the Trevi Fountain in hopes of a return visit one day. However, with so many other places I want to see in the world, I don’t know that I’ll be in a hurry to return here. Seeing the ancient sites has been amazing, but Rome is still a city, and I have only a short tolerance for large crowds!
Traveling with Laura 