The Harbor at Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica was the main port city for the Roman empire, located some 15 miles south west of the capital city of Rome.

One of the fabulous mosaics at Ostia Antica. Photo by Frank Kovalchek

Ostia Antica includes the city, a cemetery, several sanctuaries, and an important watercourse and harbor where ships involved in the Mediterranean trade were sheltered beginning in the first century A.D. The city, and particularly the harbor, exhibit a remarkable quality of preservation, the results of centuries of burial by the alluvial deposits of the Tiber River. Not often remembered by tourists when visiting the city of lights, Ostia makes a wonderful day trip, particularly considering the beautiful mosaics that still exist in place.

• The Harbor at Ostia Antica
• Roman Ruins