The mysteries of this beautiful archeological park surrounded by umbrella pines and cypress trees are many and multifaceted and can be enjoyed through the many wonderful mosaic floors, frescoes, statues and private and public buildings that remain intact today. The joy of this site is that there is no modern city trying to bury it or hide its secrets and we can wander through this maze of beautiful ruins and feel as if we are its first discoverers!

Quick overview: The ancient Roman port city of Ostia Antica is only a half hour by train from Rome. It used to face directly onto the sea but now due to silt buildup over the centuries, lies inland three kilometers. In fact it was the sand blowing in gradually from the coast that has so well preserved the city for our eyes today. 'Ostia' means 'mouth' and refers to this city's important position at the mouth of the Tiber River. As Rome grew in importance Ostia grew with it into a thriving port city of 80,000 inhabitants at its hey-day in the Imperial Age. The city was very well connected to Rome by the Tiber river and the ancient roads of Via Ostiense and Via Portuensis. These roads were noted as being the busiest in the Roman Empire!

To begin we will explore the secrets of the necropolis, an ancient cemetery on the outside edge of the city walls where columbaria and elaborately decorated sarcofogi held the remains of important families. From here we follow the ancient basalt road through the city entrance where the twin colossal statues to the goddess Minerva guarded the entry gates. At the Baths of the Cartdrivers we will admire from above the whimsical mosaics showing portraits of favorite horses along their silly names. From here we will end up at the Baths of Neptune where the customs of bathing in public will be discussed and we can note just how civilized these people were! Amazing mosaic floors showing the god Neptune along with his mermaids and other mythical sea creatures are on display here which we will view from the second storey of the bath complex.
One of the most important features of Ostia were the warehouses full of goods from all over the Roman Empire and thus it became necessary to have a guard against fires so the Emperor Augustus established a Fire Station which we will visit. We will see their important Altar to the Emperors as well as their bathroom with marble seats and coved ceilings. After passing a row of shops we will step inside the Tavern of Fortunatus to see his floor mosaic welcoming his guests with the greeting "Fortunatus says if you are thirsty drink wine from the crater" with a picture of a giant drinking goblet!

Next stop: a beautiful Roman Theatre in brick from the 1st c. BC (used today for evening concerts in the summer. Here up to 4,500 people were seated and entertained with tragedies, aquatic shows, music and baudy comedies. Behind the theatre we will explore the Square of the Corporations a rare site surrounding the Temple to Venus showing the offices of merchants with mosaics displaying each of their specialties ranging from transport of anything from wheat to live elephants.

This is the perfect time for a bite to eat at the onsite café with Italian specialties and a lovely area under the umbrellas to sit and enjoy our food.

After lunch we will continue our journey with a visit to the small museum with displays of many sculptures and frescoes found on site. Next an intriguing visit to the Thermopolium, an ancient bar and restaurant that looks like it could still be serving food today! Across the street we will see the famous House of Diana, one of the most important surviving apartment buildings from ancient roman times. After visiting a full production bakery and seeing a field of giant pottery containers for oil and wine we will arrive at the Curia and the Forum- the civic heart of Ostia and site of the temples to Hercules and the Goddess Roma.

Along the way we will see temples to the most important gods and goddesses of the ancient world including the field for the worship of the great mother goddess Cybele, many Mithraic Temples as well as a rare Jewish Synagogue and an important Christian site. At the end of the tour we will visit the luxurius Pompey-style houses with their interior courtyards and statues and the impressive Baths of the Forum famous for their delicate design which follows the path of the sun, large corinthian columns, the hexagonal gymnasium and public men's and women's bathrooms.
After an exciting day of wondrous sites your guide will return with you on the train from where you can take a taxi back to your hotel.