ROME DAY3

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ROME DAY 3

Today we left Rome to go to Civitavecchia to board our ship. On the way we decided to see Ostia Antica. It is very cold again and raining. Valentina is our guide today. The drive ti Ostia takes about 1 hour. For over 600 years Ostia was Rome’s main port and a bustling commercial center. Around the 5th century AD the town started to decline because of malaria and competition of other ports.

There is a large stone road that runs the entire length of Ostia all the way to the sea. this is lined by the cemetery which was on the outside of the town proper. There is the main gate, the Rome gate which still has large marble slabs marking it. Then there are the storage rooms for all the goods coming into and out of the town. The town had a large fire force. There were accommodations for the firemen and a large area for games and public baths for the firemen. There are beautiful mosaics on the floors which show large sea creatures and gods.

About halfway along the road is a large theater which seated about 1500 people. This is still used for concerts in the summer. Behind the theatre is the Capitol and the Forum which is where all the merchants had their offices. Even though it was raining off and on, we really enjoyed seeing this site which rivals Ephesus.

We are now on the ship and have lived through another mandatory life boat drill. Getting ready for dinner

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