I am considering going to Ostia Antica during our time in Rome. I have read about it in R.S. Italy book, but am looking for any further info anyone can offer about it, if you have been there.
I have always been interested in Pompeii, but time contraints will not allow me to get there, but R.S. says it is just 45 min to Ostia Antica and that it is vastly underrated. What will we see when we are there?
Did you love it? Hate it?
It will be late May when we are there.
Thanks!
Here are the previous discussions of Ostia Antica, from the archives of this site, there's a lot here, I hope some browsing will give you some of the info you're looking for:
click here
I agree that Ostia is underrated and it is totally worth a daytrip. I went there on my last visit to Rome and thoroughly enjoyed it. You will basically see an ancient Roman city-ruins of the theater, houses, etc etc. Its really interesting and was not very crowded when we visited. You take the metro/subway then a train, then its about a 10min walk-very easy to reach. And you'll be back in Rome with time to spare before dinner.
I would say that you could even easily do Ostica Antica in less of a "Day Trip" than the Vatican. You take the metro, switching to the train at Roma Ostiense, all the cost of a 1 euro ticket. If you get to Ostia Antica early, near opening, you can be back in central Rome by noon in plenty of time for Lunch. If you wanted to make a true "day Trip" out of it, if it is nice weather, continue on to Ostia Lido, and enjoy a little beach.
We spent a half day there and could have stayed longer. We enjoyed it. While it isn't an icon like Pompeii/Herculaneum, it was a good chance to see what Rome would have been like two-thousand years ago.
The best tip about Ostia Antica is one I learned after we came back. When you arrive, walk straight to the far end of the main road that goes through the ruins, noting points of interest along the way, but not stopping. Then, once you get to the end, turn around and start walking back, stopping at the more interesting places you saw on your way in. Fail to do this and you may end up (like us) spending more time on the less interesting sights near the beginning, not knowing what you're missing up ahead until you run out of time.
Great tip on getting all the way through first and then seeing what we really want to see on the way back. We plan to leave and get to Ostia Antica as close to when they open as possible and leave when around when the museum closes for lunch so we will need to plan accordingly.
Thanks!
They also have a pretty decent cafeteria on the grounds, near the small museum.
