Looking for exciting things to do in Rome this summer? Visit the Roman town of Ostia
Maybe one of the most inspiring things I’ve done in Rome is made a trip to the ruins at Ostia Antica which are some of the best preserved ruins to this day. With its provoking Forum, huge baths complex and more than one Mithraeum, you’ll need a good half day or even more to stroll around the the Ostia ruins at leisure. Great for exploring, these ruins are so detailed you can really imagine what it would’ve been like to live in this seaside port. Ostia still boasts impressive mosaics and columns everywhere ( statues are mostly taken away for safety ), and high points include the smaller domestic details : the fishmonger’s marble slab, the bar with its wares illustrated on the wall, the communal public toilets and the residential villas with relaxed yards. Virtually all ruins of Ostia Antica were revealed in the 19th and the initial half of the 20 th century. The first methodical excavations, activated by pope Pius VII, were carried out by Petrini in the years 1801-1805.
the best way to reach Ostia is by utilizing the metro. You can leave your location appartement a rome in the morning and be at Ostia inside half an hour. Trains leave at station Piramide : get off the regular metro at Piramide, go up the escalator, turn immediately left and down the steps into the Roma-Lido station. Trains also leave at station Magliana, but we counsel Piramide : this way you are going to find a seat on the train. A standard metro ticket will suffice for the whole journey. You need to alight at the Ostia Antica stop which is about 20minutes from the town. For a rather more scenic route, Ostia is also reachable by boat. You should purchase your ticket to take the ship at the info point located close to the Tevere brook, in front of Castel San Angelo.
The town of Ostia Lido today is a totally different place. A place popular with tourists and young people, Ostia is now a modern, tourist driven resort. Though it might not be everyones mug of tea, it cant be denied that it’s got a extremely cool party scene in the summer. In the summer months, Romans love to hit Ostias beaches by day, ( to enjoy the sun in one of the many paying beach establishments or at the free beach of Castel Porziano ), and by night, when Romans head out to hang out and party in one of the many clubs on the Ostia main sea strip. If you want to experience the superb nightlife at Ostia why not louer appartement a rome and take a short break.
The season in Ostia starts picking up around May and in June when almost all of the clubs start opening their doors to Romans and travellers with their open air dance floors, candle-lit exotic lounge bars where the most cutting edge djs entertain a young and vibrant crowd.
Some of the hottest spots are the Shilling, the Spiaggetta, the Open Bar ( where you can sip cocktails by the pool ) and the Faber beach ( where folks like to sit directly on the sand with a bottle of lager and hear music ).
At 11:00 on Wednesdays, the pope meets his flock at St Peter’s Basilica ( in July and Aug at Castel Gandofolo ). For free tickets, write to the Prefettura della Casa Pontificia, 00120 Citt del Vaticano. If you’re already in Rome, call or visit the Prefettura ( +06 698 84 631 ; h 09:00 - 13:00 ) through the bronze doors under the colonnade to the right of St Peter’s. When in town, the pope also blesses the faithful in St Peter’s Square ( Piazza San Pietro ) on Sundays at midday - no tickets required.