Playing tag... with cars.

My first official adventure was today.


Like I said we are keeping the boat in Ostia. Fodor’s suggests a great day long side trip from Rome is to explore Ostia Antica and the ruins of the city that used to be there. Dad went when he was in this area before and said it rivaled Pompeii as far as buried old cities are concerned. So we decided to take Fodor up on his suggestion and explore what seemed like a local gem.

The historical significance: It was founded around the 4th century BC and served as Rome’s port city for many centuries until the Tiber River changed course, leaving it very dry. Since it had been abandoned, tidal mud and windblown sand (and quite a bit of foliage) have buried the town until the beginning of the 20th century when it was extensively excavated.

We consulted a map and figured it was about 3 miles. A little less we found out when we punched the address into Garman. So we decided to just walk it because we weren’t sure where the bus stops or trains were located, and taxis get expensive. This single decision made this trip transform from just a sightseeing tour to a true adventure.

When we consulted the map, it showed what appeared to be a side road that we could walk along and avoid the highway. Yeah, not so much. At the beginning we walked along dirt roads and through some other marinas. But then those roads ended and we had to walk along the highway like road. The first one wasn’t too terrible because there was at least grass on the side of the road… grass, knew high weeds, plants, trash, etc. but there was space where we could walk over or around those things without being in the road. Then Garman instructed us to turn right onto what we had seen on the map as the highway. Trying not to actually think about the situation Dad and I followed the road hugging the guard rail for dear life while clinching our teeth and saying every prayer imaginable under our breath. Imagine walking along Blanding Blvd. or 192… walking on about a foot or two of space between the guard rail and the traffic. On the highway the speed limit was around 70, but in Europe the speed limit is generally a suggestion. There aren’t really lines on the road to dictate where a car can or cannot go, and there aren’t stoplights, at least not on roads like that. I can go on record saying it was one of the most unsafe things I have ever done. (We made it alive Mom and decided not to ever do it again!) By the time we made it to the Ostia Antica (which only took about an hour even with the stopping – it was like kickball whenever a car would come and it was too narrow or a tree got in the way and the game would be called off and we’d manage to just go into the bush somehow to avoid getting picked off by a Smart Car) we were filthy, cut up, and ready to see some old stuff.

This is a view from a bridge that goes over the final road we had to take to get to Ostia Antica. You can see the minimal space on the side of the road.

We toured Ostia which was really cool and huge. Photos will be able to show that better than my descriptions here so refer to those for the coolness.

The entire city had these mosaics either on the walls or floors. This was the biggest one in situ that had been uncovered on a wall. When you walk around various areas of the city and look down there are spots where the sand and plants have been cleared and the mosaic tiles are visible. It’s mind blowing how many there must be under the terrain and in the surrounding woods.

– There were two groups of people there from Berlin and England doing excavation work. Apparently when the Italians did it, they didn’t do such a great job and were just after the treasures and statues that could’ve been there. So there is a big effort right now to actually document what is being uncovered and try and get more information about how the people lived and how the city looked when inhabited.

that were part of the forum in the middle of town. It was pretty cool.

statues are located at the theater, which is actually being used for concerts right now – there was a stage set up and everything.

Mow and I in the Diana House which seems to be one of the best preserved areas as far as the frescos and marble structures are concerned.

Dad and I voted to take the train back to the area of town we were in and then had to take a bus from there to get back to the area of the boat. This was good practice for tomorrow when we are going into Rome to see actual Rome and all the glorious old things they have there. We’ve both been to Rome and done all of the tourist things, but I wanted to go at least see them again because we have the time before we leave here and it’s there to see so why not?

I'm in Europe!  This was a street we passed down in order to get to a cafe in Ostia Antica to recharge after the treck there.