![]() |
City Guide - Rome - Excursions | ||
![]() |
||
Excursions For a Half Day Ostia Antica: A 40-minute train ride from Piramide station or a pleasant drive along Via del Mare, lies Ostia Antica, Imperial Rome's main port from the second to ninth centuries AD. It was founded in the seventh century BC by King Ancus Marcius and lay abandoned until excavations in the nineteenth century. The shoreline has now withdrawn three kilometres (two miles) away to the present Lido di Ostia, and at first glance, all that can be seen is a network of thoroughfares with the odd upstanding column. However, a few hours spent in this quiet spot and the imagination will conjure up the former thriving town and the day-to-day lives of its inhabitants. The main artery, the Decumanus Maximus, leads to an amphitheatre, with fantastic acoustics, which is perfect for a peaceful picnic. Mosaics at the Forum of the Corporations depict the produce sold or trade practised, while the bar Thermopiliu, with its wide marble counter and lively fresco, evokes leisure time. Temples to a host of deities summon up the religious life, and the homes of Ostia's inhabitants reveal mosaic interiors, while communal latrines are testament to more mundane activities. The recently reopened museum (tel: (06) 563 5801) displays coins, glassware and statues. The site is open April-October, Tuesday to Sunday 0900-1900 and November-March, Tuesday to Sunday 0900-1700. Admission costs L8000. For a Whole Day Tivoli: A 30km (20 miles) drive east of Rome (along the A24) lies the hilltop town of Tivoli. Alternatively, take a COTRAL bus from Rebibbia or a train from Termini or Tiburtina stations (direction Avezzano). Both stop at Tivoli. Conquered by the Romans in 338BC, the town became the prized spot on which to build luxurious villas and homes for wealthy families. The Villa d'Este (tel: (0774) 312 070) is one such folly, built in 1550 according to the whim of art patron Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia. The state apartment is decorated with the swirling frescoes and paintings of Correggio, Da Volterra and Perrin del Vaga, while outside are the vast Renaissance gardens. Their fountains can only be described as kitsch - the Owl Fountain, designed to echo the owl's hoots, and Fontana dell'Organo Idraulico, which imitated the organ's burblings. As much, if not more, imagination went into the construction of the Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa) (tel: (0774) 530 203). Enough of the Canopus fountain (with its sturdy columns and statues overlooking a central pool) remains to evoke the peace of this domain, the country retreat for Rome's great military campaigner. It is thought that his favourite spot was the tiny island, cut off completely from the surrounding man-made pool (Teatro Marittimo) by an ingenious retractable bridge. The standard opening hours for both Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana are 0900-1900. |