Ostia Antica (Old Ostia) lies about 45 minutes southwest of Rome and it served as the seaport for the ancient city of Rome.  Its ruins are in excellent condition, allowing the viewer to see how the merchant/commerce and craftsmen lived.  Because of the nature of the business of the city, it was never a "grand" city; rather, it served as the stopping point for merchants of grain, etc. who dealt with Rome.  It was founded according to legend in the 4th century B.C.E. and flourished until the 4th century C.E.  Two basic things led to the demise of Ostia as a trading city.  First, malaria (mal = bad, and aria=air) hit Ostia several times early in the common era, and secondly, the invasions that destroyed Rome as the center of the Roman Empire of the west also caused untold destruction of the city of Ostia.  For literally hundreds of years, the marble of Ostia was looted and used to build other buildings elsewhere.  Like many of the ancient monuments of ancient Rome, the splendid marble and limestone was "recycled" into new buildings built near Ostia Antica.
    Why go to Ostia?  It is smaller than Pompeii and can be covered well in 4 hours.  Represented here are baths, theaters, bakeries, warehouses, forums, mills, dye shops, and apartment buildings (insulae) of a thriving community. Get a map at the entrance of the ruins.  Price of entry, about $4.

Before you enter Ostia Antica proper, outside the city walls, you will find the burial tombs of the Romans.  Since it was illegal to be buried within city walls, the tombs were often placed just outside the cities.  You can see the niches into which the crematorium jars  of the wealthier citizens were placed.

Once you have taken a peek at the tombs, you will walk about 20 yards and see the Winged Victory statue on your left.  Winged Victory was an important goddess to the Romans and it is fitting that she be at the entrance to the city.

The merchant area is the first area with buildings on the right as you enter.  These initial buildings were the warehouses to store the materials before shipping them to Rome or to other parts of the empire.

Ostia's Baths of Neptune