Ostia, Italy

We found ourselves slowing down, R&R ing, and enjoying several days at the seaside town of Ostia, which is just outside of Rome. Beautiful ocean views.

After regrouping, we took the metro into Rome and spent a day exploring the neighborhood of Trastevere. It's a colorful, funky bohemian area of Rome where you can still feel its centuries-old working-class homes.

Also, we have to give a shout-out to the Nuns in line ahead of us at the Gelatto shop. It was a sure sign that this Gelato was ... heavenly.

The next day, we went to Ostia Antica. It is an archaeological site that was once the ancient Roman port city of Ostia, located at the mouth of the Tiber River. We had been to plenty of archaeological sites before, but we really enjoyed this one because this site told the full story of how people lived here.

Ostia served as Rome's main port during the 7th century BCE. It was founded for trade and also served as a military base.

The city of 100,000 was located on the banks of the river Tiber, and the name ‘Ostia’ was derived from the Latin ostium, meaning mouth.
The site has remarkable ruins of streets, squares, residences, bars, bathhouses, theaters, and temples. It was quite a puzzle to reconstruct.Read more