Ancient Ostia Tour | Private

Have you ever wondered What life was like in Rome’s bustling ancient port? Step off the beaten path and explore Ostia Antica — Rome’s astonishingly well-preserved ancient port city that rivals Pompeii in its ability to transport you back 2,000 years.

This hidden gem offers a fascinating glimpse into daily Roman life: from lively marketplaces and elegant villas to temples and even an ancient fast-food joint!

Come and see life as it was 2,000 years ago!

Ostia, the first Roman colony, immediately became a river port – finding itself at the mouth of the river Tiber – and acquired a commercial function to supply Rome with food stuff, particularly wheat, even if its strategic military function as naval base certainly prevailed.

The most ancient buildings currently visible are from the 3rd century BC, notably the Castrum (military camp); of a slightly later date is the Capitolium.

In 68 BC, the town was sacked by pirates. During the sack, the port was set on fire, the consular war fleet was destroyed, and two prominent senators were kidnapped. The town was then re-built, and provided with protective walls. Ostia itself was provided with all the services a town of the time could require; in particular, a famous lighthouse. Ostia even contained a synagogue, the earliest synagogue yet identified in Europe.

Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century, reaching a peak of some 75,000 inhabitants in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.

Choose your Itinerary

Visitors can choose among five themed paths, according to the historical-cultural aspect in which they are mostly interested. So, coming back to Ostia Antica, they will be able to discover other aspects of this site, following another themed path.

1. Along the Decumanus: The commercial street. Marketplaces, public buildings, ways and places of production. The Fulloniche (Fuller’s workshops), the huge Piazzale delle Corporazioni (Square of the Guilds), the tabernae (taberns), the theater and various warehouses.
2. From Porta Marina: Cults and religious communities. The Synagogue, the Mithraea. The Christian Basilica, the Round Temple and the Capitolium. The Campus of the Magna Mater.
3. The Forum and its surroundings: The political, commercial and religious center. The Forum, the Cardus Maximus, the Baths, the Capitolium, the Thermopolium, the Small Market, the Tabernae of Fishmongers (fishmongers’shops) and the Macellum, the Christian Basilica and the Round Temple.
4. Around via della Foce: The districts of the river port. Cults and religious buildings, residential neighborhoods, houses and spas with pictorial remains and mosaics.
5. Porta Marina and its surroundings: Houses and “modern buildings” in Ostia Antica. What’s near Porta Marina, the domus, residential facilities, refreshments, sepulchral monuments.