|
|
visit Rome in 2 days
|
Rome in 96 hours - third day
An evening at the theatre in Villa Borghese (when possible).
The archaeological 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).
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 Civiltà 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.
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. Courtesy of romaturismo.com Azienda Promozione Turistica Comune di Roma
|
Ostia
Antica
EUR
Centrale Montemartini
