Time for the second post of the day! This one will cover Ostia Antica (which was yesterday.
So, for Ostia we got up early, and walked to the metro station for a half hour ride to the ruins. When we got there, the first thing we did was listen to Conor do his presentation in what used to be the courtyard of the Baths of Neptune. After that we went to the museum full of all the statues that were found in Ostia, then explored the rest of the ruins. While in the town we saw: the Square of Guild, which was the market of Ostia at the time with mosaics indicating what the shops sold and the Capitolinum, which was the temple used to worship the triad of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. We went to the House of Diana, which was a tenant house block, numerous villas and insulae (apartment houses,) and the temple of Rome and Augustus. Pictures of all of these are included below.
After about three hours in Ostia we got back on the train and returned to Rome, stopping at St. Paul's Outside the Walls (the walls being the Servian Wall, built by the 5th king of Rome, Servius Tullius.) Once we finished sightseeing in St. Paul's and the pyramid tomb of a Roman emperor built into the wall as bodies could not be buried inside the walls, we went in search of food. The first restaurant we came to had closed for the afternoon break (repose,) so we went back into the city proper. After finding even our second choice of restaurant closed, we gave up and got sandwiches at a deli (prosciutto and fresh mozzarella) and returned home after stopping at the grocery store. Once we finished reading/sleeping/snacking it was time for dinner. Sandy found an intriguing restaurant that has the motto "you eat what we want to feed you," and it was absolutely excellent (it totally made up for finding the two other places closed.) We dined on antipasti of olives, lentils, bread, croquettes, and prosciutto. The pasta course was half pasta alla carbonaro and half red sauce, with the meat course of veal and fresh made potato chips following. To top it off we had a dessert a crème and apple pie (which was amazing) with a small glass of fresh squeezed mandarin juice, and coffee for Sandy, Mike, and Pat. After our three hour dinner we returned to our apartment at 10:00 to sleep before leaving for the Vatican the next day.
After about three hours in Ostia we got back on the train and returned to Rome, stopping at St. Paul's Outside the Walls (the walls being the Servian Wall, built by the 5th king of Rome, Servius Tullius.) Once we finished sightseeing in St. Paul's and the pyramid tomb of a Roman emperor built into the wall as bodies could not be buried inside the walls, we went in search of food. The first restaurant we came to had closed for the afternoon break (repose,) so we went back into the city proper. After finding even our second choice of restaurant closed, we gave up and got sandwiches at a deli (prosciutto and fresh mozzarella) and returned home after stopping at the grocery store. Once we finished reading/sleeping/snacking it was time for dinner. Sandy found an intriguing restaurant that has the motto "you eat what we want to feed you," and it was absolutely excellent (it totally made up for finding the two other places closed.) We dined on antipasti of olives, lentils, bread, croquettes, and prosciutto. The pasta course was half pasta alla carbonaro and half red sauce, with the meat course of veal and fresh made potato chips following. To top it off we had a dessert a crème and apple pie (which was amazing) with a small glass of fresh squeezed mandarin juice, and coffee for Sandy, Mike, and Pat. After our three hour dinner we returned to our apartment at 10:00 to sleep before leaving for the Vatican the next day.
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