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Rome in 96 hours - third day
out of town excursion to
 Ostia
Antica
a walk in
 EUR
or a visit to the
 Centrale Montemartini.
An evening at the theatre in Villa Borghese (when possible).
 
Ostia Antica
The archaeologic site of Ostia Antica offers a
unique opportunity to complete the image of the ancient city by
exploring the aspect of daily life, otherwise difficult to identify
among the great public monuments of capital.
Founded around the 4th century BC as a military base between the
mouth of the Tiber and the coast, Ostia soon became the commercial
port of ancient Rome and for this reason was tightly connected to
its history. The goods destined to the support of the capital, but
also to its urban development and entertainment industry, came
through here. Grain, oil, wine, precious marble, animals for the
circus, arrived here from all over the Mediterranean, and were often
transferred onto smaller boats that went up the river hauled by oxen
on the river banks, up to the port in Rome. It is easy to imagine
Ostia as a thriving town of 60,000 people as we walk through the
rather well preserved remains of the forum, the baths, temples, and
residential neighborhoods that must have housed many foreigners as
well.
Among the sites that deserve to be seen, are the ancient
theatre, still in use today, and the Square of the Guilds, a
structure consisting of 60 representative offices of the different
associations of artisans and merchants who worked here. The
existence of Ostia was not interrupted suddenly as occurred in
Pompeii; its decline coincided with that of Rome but was made worse
by the gradual silting up of the port and by floods that changed the
course of the Tiber, favoring the spreading of malaria. Ostia was
never inhabited again in a significant manner after that, and this
allows us to follow the various phases in the evolution of an
ancient city without the adding of structures from later times.
The visit is made especially pleasant by the extraordinary natural
context, a fundamental element in the perception of the romantic
charm of ruins that was highly appreciated by 19th century
travellers. Even here Nature seems to almost regain possession of
the space taken up by the work of man, creating a landscape that
communicates a strong sense of the ineluctable passing of time.
Ostia Antica can be reached easily by the train to Ostia Lido that
departs from Porta San Paolo (Ostia Antica stop).
EUR
On the way back from Ostia Antica, it is
possible to get off the train at one of the stops before
Porta San Paolo for a walk through EUR, and explore the more
modern aspect of the city. The area was originally intended
to host the “Esposizione Universale di Roma” (the Universal
Exhibition of Rome”) scheduled for 1942, in the context, at
the time, of a debate on contemporary architecture and town
planning.
  
The Exhibition never took place owing to the start
of World War II and EUR was completed after the end of it.
Conceived as part of a plan for the southward development of
the city, the neighbourhood was built ex novo according to
criteria drawn for ancient Roman architecture and urban
planning in its monumental and rational aspects, that can
also be found in Renaissance classicism.
Structures of special interest include the Palazzo dei
Congressi, the Museum of Roman Civilization and the Palazzo
della Civiltá Italiana, known as the “square Colosseum” and
that, in its abstract interpretation of classical
architecture, greatly contributes to the surreal and
metaphysical atmosphere of EUR, also evident in the wide
avenues and well separated buildings.
Centrale
Montemartini
The Centrale Montemartini represents one of the
most original and remarkable outcomes of the coexistence of ancient
and modern in Rome. Ancient statues from the collections of the
Capitoline Museums are displayed in the rooms of the first public
electrical power plant of the city, inaugurated in 1912, and the
only one that kept working during the Second World War thanks to the
ingenious stratagem of hoisting the Vatican City flag above it.
More
than 400 statues of gods, heroes and personalities of imperial rank
populate the machine rooms amidst transformers and generators that
evoke the sound of turbines, creating a highly evocative surreal
effect.
Walking through the perfectly restored rooms (a successful
example of industrial archaeological recovery) we perceive the
dynamic relationship between the luminous, timeless marble of the
statues and the modern energy suggested by the machines, that seem
to contend for the attention of the viewer. Do not miss the
celebrated Togato Barberini, the basanite statue of Agrippina, the
Victory of the Simmaci, and the statues from the Temple of Apollo
Sosianus.
A suggestion for a special evening: a
performance at the permanent outdoor theatre “Silvano Toti”, in
Villa Borghese, in Piazza Aqua Felix. Modelled on the Globe theatre
in London, it has a capacity of 3000 seats.
Rome in four days - first day
Rome in four days - second day
Rome in four days - fourth day
Courtesy of romaturismo.com Azienda Promozione Turistica Comune di Roma
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