Ostia Antica

A few kilometers from Rome you can visit the fascinating archaeological area of Ostia Antica, one of the most important archaeological areas in the world and the center of the maritime trade for the Roman Empire. Ostia was founded between the end of the fifth and the beginning of the fouth century A.D. as  “Castrum“, a fortified settlement inside a rectangular enclosure of walls built in large blocks of tufa. Since the second century BC, Ostia was an important centre of trade and food supply for Rome, and it continued to expand. Under Augustus and his successors, Ostia was equipped with a theatre, a Forum and an aqueduct. With the construction of the Port of Claudius, three kilometers away, the new urban center of Portus, was developed and later enlarged by Emperor Trajan. Trajan increased its importance as an administrative and directional center for trade and it soon became a rich and cosmopolitan city.