Ostia Antica or Borghese Gallery?
 

We were going to see Ostia today but when we got there they said they were closed for the day due to piping issues.

So we have a decision to make:
Tomorrow after the Colosseum in the morning, we have reservations for Borghese in the afternoon or to make a trip to Ostia instead foregoing one or the other. We really liked Pompeii but ran out of time to see it all and tbh were not too impressed with the Uffizi gallery in Florence. We aren't art history buffs or anything and we like to see cool stuff mostly.

Thoughts?

Sounds like you're more into archeology rather than museums…if you're not too impressed by Uffizi then Borghese may have the same impact. You probably would be better off going to Ostia.

I am imaging that you've already seen the Pantheon, Roman Forum, St Peters, Sistine Chapel, and Catacombs, to name a few? These are a must see before heading out to Ostia, but just my suggestion.

watch the weather though…since you're obviously in Rome right now you know the weather is awful today ;)

Best of luck to you,

Laura

One of the great things for me about Ostia Antica is that you really get a sense of how a whole Roman town functioned in terms of layout -- who lived where, who sold what where, why the cemetery and baths are slightly outside of town, where people ate and where they gathered for public events. So when you return to the center of Rome, the "invisible" ancient city underfoot suddenly becomes a lot more visible. You can see how today's Rome is still functioning at a deep level in many respects according to its original layout.

For most people, the Galleria Borghese is one of their favorite museum experiences in Italy because

1) It is not a non-stop overload of religious paintings

2) the "museum" building is actually a stupendous Roman palazzo, in itself a fascinating look into the lives of the latter-day Roman super-rich (and still a taste-setter for wealthy people today)

3) the Bernini sculptures on display are some of the liveliest to be seen in Italy, full of emotion and humanity and dynamism, they almost leap off their pedestals at you -- and thus quite a contrast to the passive frozen perfection of Michaelangelo. So people who have been a bit underwhelmed by a lot of famous art on their tours are finally thrilled and moved and mesmerized.

4) The number of people allowed in the gallery at any one time is strictly limited, so you don't get the "caught-in-the-herd-can't-see-anything" effect you do in many other famous galleries in Italy.

If you do go to Ostia Antica, you can find online (still I think) an overview and suggested walking tour written by Rick Steves. Normally I find his take on things too dumbed-down, but this one I think is a good approach to the site itself.

Also, I just read the response above mine, and I totally disagree that the other things mentioned are "must sees" ahead of Ostia Antica. Not only have I never seen the catacombs despite more than dozen visits to Rome (hey, some day I'll get around to it), but as I said above, a lot of people would understand Rome a lot better if they saw Ostia Antica first.

As for the Sistine Chapel, there are literally millions of people who complain after seeing the Chapel that they were underwhelmed and disliked the whole experience. It is so famous, it is hard not to go and make up your own mind, but of all the cool things to see in Rome, many people treasure other things much more.

Yeah, weather is pretty bad.

We already saw:
-Vatican City (Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's, etc.)
-Spanish Steps
-Trevi Fountain
-Pantheon (very cool)
-Colosseum Tour tomorrow (includes Forum, Palatine Hill, 3rd Ring, etc.)
-St. Agnes Castle

Not sure what else to see.

Any other suggestions would be welcome. We're pretty much free for the rest of the day since our plans were kind of changed due to that piping issue.

When the weather is not what it should be, you can go church-hunting in the area around the Piazza Navona. The San Agnese on the Piazza Navona itself can't but impress you. Somewhat further on you've got the no less impressive San Andrea de Valle. The Gesù, near the Piazza Venezia, is another wonder of Roman baroque. Around the corner you've got the Galleria Pamphilij, whose art collection might not be the top of the bill, but can be enjoyed as a Roman palazzo. And just north of the Galleria there is another jewel in the chain of Roman churches: the San Ignazio.

Is the weather bad today in Rome? If it is, go to the Centrale Montemartini for very cool stuff in a cool space.

http://www.romeing.it/centrale-montemartini-museum/

If the weather is nice, go see the cats at the Largo di Torre Argentina and walk through the old Jewish ghetto to the Portico d'Ottavia, and then across the river to Trastevere. Walk through Trastevere to the church of Santa Maria and see the mosaics. There are fun place in Trastevere to have a cocktail or beer, and you can find a cheap dinner there too.

Also, I wanted to add that if you decide to go back to Ostia Antica tomorrow, have your hotel call ahead to confirm they are open unless the people you spoke with today at the gate swore to you that the place will be open Thursday.

Yes, do double-check beforehand whether Ostia is unexpectedly closed. I traveled out to the site last year without double-checking this and found that due to heavy rains the previous day the whole site was closed!

FWIW, I consider the Borghese one the finest small museums in the world. And it is the one thing in Rome that I most want to revisit. YMMV.