This is a rich walking tour/seminar of the archaeological site of Ostia Antica, once the port city of Roma (from 3rd century B.C. until it's demise in the early middle ages), and today considered to be the best-preserved example of a middle-class Roman town. It is often compared to Pompeii as many of the structures have been amazingly preserved by silting from the nearby Tiber river. The monochromatic (black and white) mosaic floors of several buildings are considered some of the best in-situ examples in all the Roman world, while the apartment buildings, restaurants, and bath complexes give an incredible sense of what it was like to live in a Roman city at the height of the Empire.

Our five-hour itinerary begins at the train station at Porta San Paolo (next to the Piramide Metro station) where our docent will meet the group and accompany it on the train (35 minutes) to the site of ancient Ostia. We normally spend four hours on site, picking apart in myriad different ways. Typical itineraries include stops at the baths, the theater, the merchants square, at least one of the mithraia, and, if there's time and interest in the group, a walk out to the synagogue, the oldest such structure in Europe.

Note: The cost of this tour does not include a ticket to the site, which costs 4 euro per person, nor a ticket on the train (1 Euro each way).