Ostia Antica and Monte Testaccio--by Tellier

Text by Telly, photos by Kelli unless otherwise noted

Telly at Ostia Antica (photo by John)

After our breakfast at Casa La Salle, we collectively walked across the street to the Mercato (market) to purchase our picnic lunch. This gave us an opportunity to practice our shaky Italian and stock up for our lunch. 

Ordering meats and cheeses to make sandwiches for our picnic lunch

Michael and Zach are happy with their "mela" purchase

Nick uses his Italian to buy some fruit

Beautiful vegetables in the market

Around 09:15 the group of Latin students boarded the metro on our way to Piramide,  the junction for trains going outside the city. 

Waiting for our train to Ostia Antica

After about a 30 minute train ride, we arrived at Ostia Antica. At first it looked like a barren town with nothing going on; however, cross a bridge, walk 2 minutes and BAM! an old, ruined, Ancient Roman town named Ostia emerges. 

Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica

After meeting at the acoustically-perfect amphitheater and the Y-Tones members giving a beautiful performance of "Take On Me", Greg, Sarah, and Kelli let us loose to roam the beautiful city.

The Y-Tones check out the acoustics of the theater

Walking down the main road and looking at all the old shops in a row made picturing the former vivacity of the city much easier, especially after learning about the lifestyle of the people. All the building are very well preserved and walking in, around, and on top of them was an experience that no textbook can give. Eating lunch in an Ostian home and walking around the town made me picture myself living in such a town so long ago. This visit to Ostia Antica was relaxing, beautiful, and truly a memorable part of the trip and my favorite thus far.

Wrapping up a great day in Ostia Antica

Once we returned from Ostia, we stopped off at the metro stop by Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) and walked along the track and over the Tiber river, onto the ever-beautiful Tiber Island. We got gelato. That was our experience on the island. It's a very small island.

Steven was especially excited to visit Tiber Island

A gelato break on Tiber Island

Passing though Tiber Island, we met up with our tour guide Paola at Monte Testaccio who taught us about ancient Romans' way of storage for wine and oils. The Romans stored their wines and oils is anphorae which were essentially very larger vases. Once they were emptied, while they could clean out and reuse the anphorae used for wine, those used for oil were indelible. Because of this, they had no more use for their anphorae and would proceed to shatter them and disperse them on Monte Testaccio aka Hill of Pottery Sherds (yes this is the word for excavated pottery). We learned that about 54 million anphorae were used and shattered which now make up Monte Testaccio.

Paola, our guide to Monte Testaccio

Paola explains the stacked construction of this hill made entirely of discarded pottery

Pottery under our feet on the path

We found one with the handle piece

Our group at the top of Monte Testaccio

Having descended the hill, Paola took us to the Pyramid of Cestius, a giant marble pyramid in the middle of the city, a tomb. Here, we learned more about the history of Rome and specifically that part of the city.

The pyramid of Cestius

Reading Latin inscriptions with Paola

Reading Latin inscriptions with Paola

On the 4th day, all is well.