Testaccio and Ostia Antica

As substitutes for Pompeii’s Ancient Roman ruins, Ostia Antica definitely provides remains of buildings and structures, including fantastic mosaics. The ancient dining establishment that looked like they could’ve started selling meals there again with about 20 minutes preparation and also the public toilet were particularly memorable.

Testaccio has the ancient hill made from discarded oil amphorae, and the pyramid tomb from a Roman who wanted to be buried like a pharaoh, but not as much 2,000 year old remains as Ostia. Are you thinking of going to both on that same day? It would certainly work. Testaccio itself has a different vibe than some other parts of Rome, and is worth seeing in its own right, even though more modern than Pompeii.

We really enjoyed the worthwhile food tour of Testaccio with Eating Europe - check their Website. While you wouldn’t be doing recipes yourself, you’d learn a lot about Roman dishes, and the Testaccio neighborhood and some of its key places for ingredients and prepared favorites, with a great lunch at the end.

Just a small point of clarification in case it helps in your research and planning--Testaccio is not a separate town, it is an area of Rome. I don't know what the rest of your time in Rome has planned or where you are staying, but it likely does not need it's own separate day to visit.

Agree with Cyn’s comments about Ostia and Testaccio. It’s easy to get to Ostia from Testaccio, just an easy walk from the site of the Pyramid and Protestant Cemetery to the metro/train stations and then the local train to Ostia Antica, less than 30 minutes as I recall. Just make sure you get off at Ostia Antica, one more stop and you are at the seaside resort of Ostia. It’s a 10 minute walk from the OA station to the site. Another advantage of OA is that it is not crowded like Pompeii. To get to OA from central Rome you just take the metro to the Piramide stop which is also the Roma Porta San Paolo train station where the trains go to OA. Rick Steves’ Rome guide has a section on OA including a map and site descriptions.

The Testaccio food tour Cyn mentions is about four hours and is well worth it, but depending of time of year you will be hard pressed to do both in one day; at this time of year the archaeological site closes at 3.30. My choice would be to forego the food tour and do OA - but then I am an archaeology nerd.

Very easy to take the Metromare train from the Roma San Paolo train station to Ostia Antica (about 45 minutes) and then it's a very short (15 minutes?) walk to the entrance.

Here's tickets and information about Ostia Antica:

https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/en/opening-hours-tickets/

Here's two interesting videos of what Ostia used to look like and what it looks like now:

Video of Ostia as it was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgkbJmoCoJY
Video of Ostia now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnw2zSc0gh4&t=25s

Here's where we enjoyed eating within easy walking distance to the front gate of Ostia Antica --- it's in what looks like a tiny medieval street: Arianna al Borghetto. You could get to Ostia Antica when it opens and still have time for lunch at this place, but do make reservations just in case they are full that day (we were there in January and it was pretty busy!)

In many ways, Ostia Antica is actually more enjoyable than Pompeii --- far and away less crowded, there are trees and grass, and the mosaics (as I recall Pompeii's remaining in situ mosaics) are better.