Tour Ostia Antica, The Ancient Port of Rome with The Roman Guy – Step Back 2000 Years!

Last updated Aug 19, 2017

I just can’t get enough of Rome! This Fall I had the opportunity to travel back to Rome, Italy – and I decided to take my sister, Rosie, along and share the magical experience with her. No matter how many times I take a vacation to Rome, I see something new and exciting on every trip. And, there is nothing like watching someone who has never been there before take their first few steps in to the Italian city and fall in love instantly.

When we arrived in Rome, my sister was blown away – and I couldn’t wait to show her around the city. Of course, I booked a tour with “The Roman Guy” right away. You’re probably wondering why I would book a tour guide if I had already been to Rome, rather than just showing my sister around myself – but I know I couldn’t do the city justice like the guides from “The Roman Guy” do.

The Roman Guy Private Rome Tour

Their tour guides always know the fastest routes around the city, the best places to stop for food, and we don’t have to wait in lengthy tourist lines when we are with them – if you travel with “The Roman Guy,” you get treated like a VIP. After browsing “The Roman Guy” website, I decided on the “Ostia Antica Private Rome Tour.”

October is a beautiful month to go on an outdoor walking tour in Rome – the weather is perfect! And, after we spent a few days in the busy city of Rome, we were ready for a change of pace, and less crowds of tourists. The Ostia Antica is actually outside of the city of Rome, and the extensive archaeological site is also commonly referred to as the “Pompeii Of Rome.” It is a walking tour, but you don’t need to be a marathon runner or pro athlete to complete it – just bring some comfortable walking shoes and a bottle of water and you will be just fine!

Ostia Antica

My sister Rosie and I decided to hop a quick taxi to The Pyramid of Cestius and caught the train at San Paolo (Piramide). (30 Mins To Ostia) When you get off the train at Ostia Antica’s station, we crossed the road by way of the blue footbridge and walked directly down Via della Stazione di Ostia Antica where we met our tour guide, Paul. Our informative tour guide quickly gave us the run down on Ostia Antica – and we learned that it is one of the best preserved sites in the world! Preserved is truly an understatement, the former harbor city of Rome still has buildings that are standing after thousands of years!

Paul lead us through the gate to the city, which is referred to as “Porta Romana,” and we began traveling down “Decumanus Maximus” – which was the Main Street of Ostia Antica. Our first stop on our tour was the “Baths Of Neptune.” In ancient Rome, the town baths were the centerpiece of every city – and Paul explained that they served many purposes to the Romans, and bathing was just one of them.

Theatre Of Agrippa

One of my favorite parts of the walking tour of Ostia Antica was the “Theatre Of Agrippa,” the fact that the theater was constructed round 18 BC alone took my breath away. Roman architecture truly was built to withstand the tests of time. The Theatre was constructed originally by Marcus Agrippa, although other architects worked on it throughout the centuries and built on additions and restored it. My sister Rosie and I also sat in the stands at the theatre – and it was crazy to imagine all of the Romans that had sat in those very places throughout the last thousand years.

Our tour guide Paul explained to us that ancient roman cities had some of the same shops that we still have today – like a bakery.

Of course, there are some vast differences between Ostia Antica and modern day Rome, for example the ancient city’s public toilets. Our guide also gave us a brief run-down on the ancient cities’ complex water system, which only proves how much the layouts of our cities today were influenced by the ancient Romans.

The Mosaics

One of the most interesting features of Ostia that Paul pointed out are the black-and-white-mosaics which are everywhere. Paul explained that the Roman mosaics were a common feature of private homes and public buildings throughout the Roman empire. Some mosaics were strictly ornamental, while others, such as the floor mosaics in Ostia, primarily designed to advertise the services offered by the various shops.

Via delle Tomb

When I learned that we would be walking through some of the old Roman houses during our tour of Ostia Antica – I was a bit skeptical at first. There is just something about walking through a 2000 year old house that had me a bit on edge. But, the ruins are absolutely 100% safe – and once I saw them in person, I had no qualms about doing some exploring. Paul led Rosie and I through the “House Of Paintings” – which featured some artwork from as far back as 2nd Century AD. And, then our walking tour ended with the “Via delle Tomb” – which translates to “road of tombs.” We actually got to walk through a cemetery that had graves that were over 2,000 years old!

I have to say that the Ostia Antica walking tour from “The Roman Guy” is one of my all time favorites – my sister Rosie and I got to hang out and spend some quality time together, all while getting some cardio in, and enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience together. If you are planning on traveling to Rome any time soon, I highly recommend booking a tour of the Ostia Antica with “The Roman Guy” – it’s great to get out of the city for a little while and away from the rush of fellow tourists.

If you are visiting Italy there is so much too do and the “The Roman Guy” offers many wonderful tours – see a list below of the ones “Tourist Meets Traveler” has taken!