Location: Lido di Ostia in Italy
Nearest Airport:
Fiumico/Ciampino at 10
Kilometres
Nearest Train:
Ostia Lido Nord at 700
Miles
Nearest Motorway:
G.R.A. Exit 27 at 10
Kilometres
Nearest Beach:
beach at 1.0
Kilometres
Car: not necessary
Ostia is the old Harbour of the Romans. Visiting Ostia is like visiting Tivoli and Hadrian's villa: a relaxing trip that takes you away from the noise and incessant police-sirens of Rome. Ostia was originally developed as a sea port, prior to the silting up of the Tiber's estuary. Ostia increased in importance from the fourth century BC, becoming a major naval and trading base. As Rome's port, the town had obvious commercial significance, and expanded in size and grandeur to match this position. There are impressive mosaics and columns everywhere (statues are mostly taken away for safekeeping), but highlights include the smaller domestic details: the fishmonger's marble slab, the bar with its wares illustrated on the wall, the communal public toilets.