Ostia Antica

We left Barcelona Wednesday afternoon and had no problems boarding Seven Seas Voyager of the Regent cruise line. We spent some time re-acquainting ourselves with the ship as this is the same ship we took on our Baltic Cruise last year. But it has changed because this is the maiden voyage after a 25 day refurbishment. Our room is more modern and bright and most of the public spaces have been completely redone. How they did it in 25 days is a wonder.

Yesterday I had a very queezy stomach most of the day. I was afraid it was due to the high winds causing a very rough sea and the rocking of the boat but as the day wore on the seas did not quiet down but my stomach did settle. It was probably due to over indulgence in spirits the night before.

Last night was a formal evening with cocktail dresses, suit and tie, the whole nine yards. We met the captain and crew then had a very late dinner. This feels like a shake down cruise as the service for dinner was very, very slow. Or it might have been that the kitchen had trouble keeping up with 700 hungry people descending on them all at once following the reception.

Cemetery

The Roman Road

This morning we docked at Civitaveccitia. Most of the passengers headed into Rome but we chose to visit the ruins in Ostia Antica. Ostia means mouth and this ancient city used to sit near the mouth of the Tiber River, but as rivers often do, it changed course over the past 2000 years and the city now sits 2 miles from the shoreline.

Excavations of the site began before WWII and continues today. They have uncovered a very large city of Roman and Greek ruins and have determined that Ostia is older than Rome. This area was settled by the Etruscans and conquered by the Romans. Caesar used the port city to expand his empire and Emperor Hadrian built the city up and out. Hadrian was a poet, writer and architect. Recently discovered was a large school of language that Hadrian built.

Floor of Roman Bathhouse

As we walked into the ruins we passed by the cemetery, the huge storage areas for containment of shipped goods and porticos for shops, offices and services. Public baths with intricate mosaic floors and latrines with running water and sewer lines were a way of life in Ostia. The bakery had special cones and stone pots for grinding and storage of grain as well has huge ovens. We even visited an ancient McDonalds! Actually had arches but was most likely a public dining area.
The large theater was built by Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd - 3rd centuries AD and restored by Mussolini before the war. It was dedicated to the trinity of Zeus, his wife Juno and daughter Athena. Later Constantine changed it to a Christian site.

Public Latrine

The wind is still blowing so it will be a rocking night at sea as we move down the coast to Amalfi.