Ostia Antica

So, remember that text Mom and Elise sent me just hours before I left?  One of the requests was all the necessary info to get to Pompeii from Rome.  After looking just a bit I found out it would be pricey and a lot of travel time.

I also found several suggestions for an alternate destination, Ostia Antica, located about 30 minutes away by train and costing just the price of one metro ticket.  

Sold!

Ostia Antica was a port city located on the Tiber River (before the river moved) and dates back to 620 BC. It's main draw was the salt flats that produces salt for meat preservation. It was conquered by Rome and was useful as a naval base. When it was no longer useful as the major port it was used as a warehouse center.  It was abandoned when Rome fell and was eventually preserved by silt and mud from the river as the Tiber moved about a mile away.

Entering the city first took us past the graveyard, so to speak.  Over the years different types of preservation were employed.

We passed on the opportunity for a paid guide since we were poor tourists. (I am sure there was not a native on our trip who would believe that!  It took all we had just to get over there-we didn't have much for anything else!) We relied on a Steve Ricks tour guide I found online.

Walking down the main drag, it was hard not to shake my head in awe at the longevity of my surroundings.  Who walked down this path?  How many people bit their tongue, bounced by some wagon? What were their lives like?

We found the market and what is left of the stall walls. 

The tile work in front of the stalls were for the illiterate (mostly the sailors).

The market surrounded a temple.  We stopped for a photo shoot.

The temple ruins faced the amphitheater.

From there we meandered our way through the major points of interest.  Walking and resting as we wished. 

Roman tradition laid out cities with a forum at it's center and a road grid surround. The forum was composed of two temples facing each other with some open space between.  One temple was dedicated to the gods (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva in this case) and the other to the emperor of Rome.  Facing each other they shared status, putting the Emperor on par with the pagan trinity.

The tile work was impressive.  Individual little pieces that were placed by hand thousands of years ago...

Somewhere around here we sat for a rest and for some heartfelt sharing.  My mom and my sister are among the women I most admire and getting to spend that precious time with them was special and one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I am pretty sure that this heart to heart to heart happened in the baths.  You can just make out the small pipes that they used to pipe hot water through the walls to the pools and steam baths!  Such luxuries!

And this is why I was born in modern times:)  Public latrines (and the only ones in the whole city!) are not my cup of tea!

We wandered our way back to the train station and found our way back to our hotel in Rome.  And it's room safe.