The Ancient Romans revisited

Tuesday, 10 July, 2012

Today was ancient Romans again.  We took the train (actually 2 metro trains and a regular train) to Ostea Antica.  It used to be a city right on the sea and next to the Tiber River.  Prime location.  It was the port city for Rome.  However, the port silted in over the millenia and eventually, Ostea wasn’t on the sea anymore.  So it was abandoned.  Well, a castle was built nearby (probably with some of the materials from the abandoned city) and a small town grew.  Now, you can go visit the abandoned city.

partial mosaic

It was much like Paestum, in that you could walk around the ruins, but there were more tall weeds, so that wasn’t as easily done.  But walking around old homes and shops and going up to terraces to see the city from above were cool (and very hot!).  We wandered slowly, drinking a lot of water to replace the water we were sweating out.  Unlike Paestum (which was Greek), there were few ostentatious temples, but one grand governing building with a huge staircase leading up to it.  There were still some limbless, headless statues and some pillars.  One building had a great sign.  The sign identified it as a restaurant.  In one room, it had marble counter for customers, paintings and mosaics on the walls, built-in sinks, and an oven.  In the back, there was a space for al fresco dining (eating outside)  in a nice area complete with a fountain.  Very cool.  It had a forum and many public baths, and a recreation space, as well as piazzas.  The town had it’s own aqueduct for water (to central wells spread out in the city).  Very worth the trip (although the long train ride was very hot and not air conditioned).  

Part of the exercise grounds near the forum

The Capitolinium

Part of an old restaurant

The patio of the restaurant

Did I mention that it was really hot?  I don’t think I’ve mentioned our “air conditioner.”  It is a unit above the door that we have had in other apartments before (including in Venice).  It works well, but this one does not.  It says 16 degrees (60 F) but it is not--we are sitting at the table sweating and dying in our beds (hot air rises).  It does not even take the moisture out of the air.  The directions ask you to turn off the air conditioner when you are gone so that the condo owners (that share the courtyard) don’t have to hear the condenser (which is located there).  We can’t do that.  If we leave it on constantly it is a few degrees cooler than outside.  We tried turning it off and opening the windows--but that was even worse because there is no wind in our courtyard.  It is still and you can smell the recycling and garbage containers out there.  So we have no relief.  Looking forward to Paris--the forecast is for rain :(  but the highs are in the 60s!  : )  Hoping we have some of our “extras” there.  Air (if it is hot or wet), wi-fi, washing machine, dishwasher.  I’m tired of sweating 24 hours a day.  Though seeing Rome has been great!  I am already do some preliminary planning (thinking) for the Italy unit I will teach in October.  

Walking back from the metro station, we stopped to look at a church that Randy found on a walk he took by himself yesterday up on Capitoline Hill.  He called it Liberace church--and I could only laugh and agree when I walked in.  Like many Catholic churches that reclaimed their roots and wealth after the Reformation, it is filled with side alters, huge pulpits, gilt and gold, and this one is filled--absolutely filled--with chandeliers!  Big glass ones!  I’d like to see it with them all lit up!  

See all of the chandeliers??

Have they heard that less is more?

Since the children did such a great job planning Monday, they get another chance tomorrow.  They can plan anything we missed or that they want to see again (as long as the admission prices aren’t horrible!).  And we will stop at some more souvenir stands since it is our last day in Rome.