We are up bright and early. We hope to unravel the mysteries of the Rome train system so we can get to Ostia Antica, supposedly the site of the best preserved Roman ruins in Italy including Pompeii.
We have no problems with the trains but when we arrive in Ostia, because we cannot seem to read signs, we end up wandering around in the in the ancient district of Gregoriopolis instead of Ostia Antica. It contains a medieval castle, called the castle of Julius II or sometimes Castello Ostia. After asking several amused locals for directions, we finally backtrack to our starting point and ultimately arrive at the entrance to the ruins which were only a few hundred yards from the train station.
We are immediately overwhelmed at the extent, beauty and historical significance of the area. You can see photos in the Ostia photo album. We are impressed not only with the preserved condition of many of the ruins but also by the information available at every stop we make. The most outstanding building is the theatre which has been partially restored and is used for plays and concerts. We also cannot take our eyes off the preserved tile work that is spread throughout the site.
The only sour note is supplied by a number of children who are climbing all over the ruins. Their parents have, obviously, no regard for the signs that ask people to stay off the ruins to insure that the ruins are still there for future generations. I take it as long as I can and I approach one group of chattering British mothers, watching their kids try to destroy 2,000 year old brick walls and ask if they have read the damn sign? I forget the first rule of intervening in such situations by using profanity. The focus immediately shifts to my use of the word damn. I try to apologize while maintaining my intention of reminding them of their parental duties and finally announce that my use of the word damn does not obviate the need for them to get their damn kids off the ruins. This announcement sets off a whole new round of tsk, tsks but has the desired result. I handle an Italian father much better by merely reminding him of the sign. He responds immediately by calling his children off the ruins.
I need a beer or perhaps something even stronger so Tom and I go to the cafeteria, which believe it or not, serves one of the best lunches we have in Italy and at very reasonable prices. I can't imagine a cafeteria anywhere else in the world, but Italy, that would have as high quality food.
The breeze does not reach the floor of the forum, so I eventually give up because of the heat, and climb out of the small valley it sits in. I walk back to the hotel exhausted and sweaty but also exhilarated by what I had seen.
Tom is waiting and we grab a quick lunch at a nearby pizzeria accompanied by liberal amounts of beer. The combination of the previous night's activities, the heat, the pizza and the beer make me want to take a nice long nap. Tom is agreeable so we decide to meet about 5:30 or 6:00 for more exploration and dinner.
We finally recover enough to explore the area north and west of our hotel. We first visit the Spanish Steps. Pam and I had walked up them the previous January but Tom decides my description is good enough. The scene is fascinating. People sprawled all over the steps and the fountain at the foot of the steps. Tourists, vendors, pick-pockets, horse carriage owners, taxis are all fighting for space on the street. Pure chaos - I loved it.
Our next stop is the Piazza Del Popolo. It's relatively empty after the crowds at the Spanish Steps. I remember that, on New Year's Eve, this is to Rome what Times Square is to New York. I had watched the festivities on TV from Venice the previous December 31. The buildings surrounding the piazza are interesting in their own right and I keep my camera busy.
We head south and discover a weird looking brick building we can't immediately identify. It is the site of some kind of street art exhibit that neither Tom nor I understand. This is true of most street art that I encounter no matter where in the world I am. I recently saw some photos of 3-D sidewalk paintings from New York City that I got but that's about it.
We figure out we are at the Mausoleum of the Emperor Augustus. There are no signs and the whole site is totally rundown and surrounded by a chain link fence. How soon they forget! We walk around the place. I take some pictures and we move on to the Tiber River.
Walking along the Tiber is a wonderful experience. It's dusk, a cooling breeze is rustling the leaves on the trees, the nearby houses all look architecturally interesting, there are few tourists around, and the whole scene has a calming effect. We walk as far as Giusti Palace, take some photos and head away from the river toward the Piazza Navona where we intend to have an al fresco dinner.
We find a suitable venue, The Quatro Fiume, named after the famous fountain in the piazza. We proceed to make the same mistake we made last night. We drink some beer, order some antipasto, drink some Pinot Grigio, order some pasta, drink some more Pinot Grigio and watch the people passing by. Our smart-ass waiter keeps taking my menu as soon as I tell him I want to keep it and then deposits it on my blind side. Tom enjoys this much more than I do.
The people watching is spectacular. We particularly notice an unbelievably attractive couple dressed as if they were straight out of a high fashion ad strolling around the square with their hands firmly around each other in the area just below their waists and non-verbally sending the message, "Eat your heart out." to both sexes. Tom and I were unaffected by this display, of course, because we are just too mature and dignified to be caught lusting after this representation of our lost youths. Yeah, right!
As we are drinking in what is basically an after-dark carnival, we suddenly realize it's after 11:30 PM. To avoid turning into pumpkins and also to insure we can carry out our planned excursion to Ostia the next day, we rush back to our hotel to sleep, perchance to dream of being 25 and parading around the Piazza Navona on a warm summer's eve.
We explore the ruins even further and observe areas where they are continuing to unearth buildings that were buried centuries ago when the Tiber changed its course. The area also provides some beautiful views of the Tiber. Eventually our energy flags and we make our way back to the train station.
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