03/21/2023
Hi everyone! Our first stop today was Ostia Antica. We took the metro for a couple stops, and then transferred to a local train line that would take us to Ostia Antica. Mr Sheppard managed to make a friend on the train in the meantime!
Ostia is a nice place on the coast but we were more interested in the ancient parts. Ostia Antica used to be on the water, but the landscape has changed a lot over hundreds of years. It was a huge trade and commercial center and was a crucial port city. In Rome, they sent the deceased to be buried on the outskirts of Ostia, for both superstition and disease control. We navigated seemingly unending and complex insulae, or apartment complexes.
Malaria devastated the ancient city, which is ultimately why it was abandoned for good; that’s why so many of the structures are almost perfectly intact. The ancient city is absolutely huge, you could easily spend an entire day trip exploring the ruins alone.