topping for the 'thegilbeys' and for any updated info other posters might have.

A poster on another topic mentioned that the boat docks are behind the museum/cafeteria/gift shop outside Ostia's entrance/exit.
Regards, Walter

Nice NYT article on Ostia that mentions the future openings (reservations required) of 4 closed-off dwellings where the frescos have been restored.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/ar...mp;oref=slogin OR
http://tinyurl.com/4kab48
Regards, Walter

That's interesting, Walter. I wonder if they'll have the reservation system set by February, when I hope to return to Rome. Thanks for the info.

Thanks Walter! Great info as always.

Thanks a lot - tagging it !!!

Fabulous! Thank you...has anyone done the rent-a-bike thing in Ostia? I think I'd like to do this but haven't heard many reviews...

Topping for a current post plus hoping that others could add or correct any info as I haven't been to Ostia since '06. Regards, Walter

Perhaps easiest to get a copy of this, apparently last updated in April 2011...

http://www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf

Peter

Thank you for reposting!

Grazie...perfect for our upcoming trip Thanks to Walter for the original post and to Peter for the tourist guide

Have A Wonderful Trip denisea! While this is topped let me add this other post about guides.
Regards, Walter


ParadiseLost on Aug 12, 12 at 07:31 PM

Ostia is a site IMO where you don't want a guide.

A guide will likely do a half-day tour from Rome, so getting there and back cuts into your time but you will see the many of the main sites.

But what makes Ostia unique is getting away from the main sites and exploring on your own 'off the beaten track' and discovering little things not in the guidebooks or that would not have been seen on a tour.

Example; I've come upon a Fullers (industrial laundry) knowing that they discharge alot of water and knowing that the sewers/drains flow south, I explore the southside area of the Fullers and find a small latrine. Granted it's not as cool as Ostia's World reknown latrine:) but it's a minor discovery not in the guidebooks that I found on my own.


Think of the site as a oblong circle around a (Y), you enter at the bottom of the Y, a tour will likely only cover the straight | part of the Y which is the main street (Decumanus Maximus) where many of the main sites are (on and to the left & right of the street).

But besides those main sites you want to explore the areas in and around the top V section of the Y
and center=left of the =Y.
Also to the left as you enter is a necropolis, so veer-off there as you enter and when you are leaving just stick to the main street and see the sites you bypassed.


In Rome pick-up the OSTIA 'Guide to the Excavations' guidebook because the site might only have them in the museum/cafe area which is in the middle-right of the site.


This is from '05 but the directions and info is still generally valid and scroll-down to A_Brit_in_Ischia Mar 30 '12 post where he has a PDF link which is an excellent guide to the site on its own.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ns-march05.cfm

Click-on the map there and you can see the areas I mention above, instead of being bold lines of the main sites |_ they are spaced ---.

As I think back to my trip five years ago now, Ostia remains one of my favorite memories. The kids climbing over the rocks to peer into a building. The sense of discovery--that my family were the only ones there. And I saw many new things, even though it was my second visit to Ostia.

Enjoy your trip and post back afterward!

Here's a link to a PDF with lots of information.
www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf

You get a map at the entrance with an explanation of all the places. In addition, there are signs everywhere explaining what you are looking at.
If you're the sort of person that has to know about every stone wall and courtyard, get a guide. If reading some general background and then wandering around, reading bits and pieces is your thing, you don't need a guide.
We wandered around the site for hours and loved it. It's definitely a place where less information is more, in my opinion.

This site is called the 'Baths of the Seven Sages' (Terme dei Sette Sapienti), it gets its name from the 'Room of the Seven Sages' located inside.


The wall paintings have humorous sayings that shows a rare human interest side of Ostia with this 1900yr old humor.


It seems that this room was once a bar for the well educated clientele of the city.


My guess is that they were poking fun at themselves with the Seven Sages' toilet humor and their own toilet humor comments while being seated at a latrine.


Go to;
www.ostia-antica.org/regio3/10/10-2.htm

I would go to the photos 1st which will put the written info into context.


In the 3rd and 4th photo you can see these toilet humor sayings above two of the Sages, they look like one word but would have likely been seperated by a centered dot � .


VT BENE CACARET VENTREM PALPAVIT SOLON


DVRVM CACANTES MONVIT VT NITANT THALES


In photos 1 & 2 you can see the chest and heads of possibly the bar's patrons represented who it's believed to have been sitting at a communal latrine.

Whether the patrons were actual living persons or just general representations who knows, although it would make the site alot cooler if they were of real people:).

Seeing that it is 'toilet humor' it's almost a given that they were in a latrine, you can see their comments in photos 1, 2, & 3 which are above their heads and below the seated Sages.


I posted on a Latin language NewsGroup for additional info. http://tinyurl.com/8nel45u

Scroll-down to my Aug 13's post and then the response by Ed Cryer and then my response.
Regards, Walter

Does anyone know if a boat trip to Ostia is still available? I checked the website listed in the NY Times article listed above, but did not see any.

If you meant the Battelli di Roma, then it does seem not!

For a possible alternative, try:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...ome_Lazio.html

As I wrote there, I've seen it on the telly, and it looked well worthwhile - but that's a difficult river for them to work with!

Peter