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Ostia

 
Ostia, the port of ancient Rome, now lying 5km/3mi inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea and close to Fiumicino Airport, is the largest excavation site in Italy after Pompeii.

History

The excavated remains of Ostia give a vivid picture of life in the port which supplied Rome. Ancient Ostia was founded about the fourth century B.C. in an area of salt-pans at the mouth (ostia) of the Tiber.

Must-see attractions nearby:
Colosseum
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Vatican City
Roman Forum
Palatine Hill
National Museum / Baths Museum
From about 300 B.C. it was the principal Roman naval base, and under the Empire developed into a considerable town of 50,000 inhabitants and was Rome's largest suburb and commercial port, through which the city's supplies of corn were brought in. After the fall of the Roman Empire Ostia fell a victim to decay and the ravages of malaria. The harbor silted up, and in 1558 the Tiber changed its course.

Related Attractions

Read More Archeological Museum of Ostia

Read More Ostia Antica, Italy

(Near Rome)

More Rome AttractionsView All

Headless statue at Ostia Antica.Headless statue at Ostia Antica.
Columns of Ostia Antica.Columns of Ostia Antica.
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