Discover one of the most well preserved archaeological sites of the Roman times.
Join us on an enlightening journey to Ostia Antica, the ancient port city that was once Rome's gateway to the Mediterranean.
Founded around 620 BC by King Ancus Marcius, Ostia served as a vital commercial hub, located strategically at the Tiber River's mouth. Its evolution from a military outpost, safeguarding the salt pans and coast, to Rome's primary river port, underscores its significance in ancient commerce and daily life.
Tour Overview
On the day of the tour, you will meet your private guide at Porta San Paolo, near Ostiense Station, and together you will take the train to the Archaeological Park of Ostia, where you will begin your private tour discovering the fascinating remains of this ancient Roman city.
Dating back to the 4th century BC, explore the lively streets of Ostia Antica as you discover how this important harbor city flourished while Rome expanded its power across the Mediterranean. Admire remarkable architectural remains from the Republican era, including monumental city gates and vast necropolises that once marked the boundaries of the ancient city.
As we delve into the 2nd century AD, witness the zenith of Ostia's prosperity, housing up to 50,000 inhabitants and showcasing an array of economic activities supported by the Imperial Ports of Claudius and Trajan. Explore the Forum, lavish baths, granaries, and the Capitolium, reflecting the city's architectural and cultural splendor. However, the narrative takes a poignant turn by the mid-3rd century AD, with Ostia's decline mirrored by the shift of commercial activities to Portus. By the mid-6th century AD, literary sources depict Ostia as abandoned, a stark contrast to its former glory.
In Ostia Antica, visitors can admire remarkably well-preserved buildings still standing two or even three stories high nearly 2,000 years after their construction. Among the highlights of the ancient city is the impressive Roman theatre, a symbol of Ostia’s cultural and architectural importance. Still used today for concerts and special events, the theatre beautifully connects the ancient world with modern-day life, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience history in a truly living setting.
This tour offers a comprehensive view of Ostia Antica's rich history, from its strategic beginnings to its peak and eventual decline, inviting you to step back in time and experience the life of an ancient Roman port city.
For further information contact us at info @citylightstours.com
Tour itinerary
Meeting point
Meet the guide at Porta San Paolo located at Ostiense Station
Porta Laurentina
The gate in the Republican walls, built in around the mid-1st century BC, marks the entrance into the city from the Via Laurentina, an ancient road leading from Laurentum (a town in Lazio south of Rome); the stretch of road inside the city was Ostia’s Cardo Maximus.
The Via Laurentina Necropolis
The most ancient tombs, dating from the mid-1st century BC onwards, were built in an area some distance from the city. Though the owners of the tombs were not of high social status, the presence of refined painted decorations shows the level of wealth attained by Ostian freedmen through commercial and productive activities.
Campo della Magna Mater
Numerous cult buildings: the temple of Cybele or Magna Mater (a fertility goddess) (A), the shrine of Attis (a mythical shepherd and lover of Cybele) (C), the temple of Bellona (the Italic goddess of war) (D) and the headquarters of the Hastiferi or lance-bearers (E), who performed religious dances during the ceremonies.
Quattro Tempietti
The complex, probably built in around the mid-1st century BC, consists of four buildings These are the temples of Venus, Fortuna, Ceres and Spes (Hope)
Theatre
The theatre, one of the most ancient to be made of brick, was built in the last years of the 1st century BC.
Terme di Nettuno
Connected to the Decumanus by an arcaded portico that monumentalized this side of the street, the baths date to the late 1st century AD but were rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian (AD 117-138) and completed in AD 139 by the emperor Antoninus Pius