Ostia Antica Virtual Tour: The Ancient Port of Rome Frozen in time

Tour Overview

Embark on a fascinating virtual voyage back in time to Ostia Antica and explore the magnificently preserved remains of ancient Rome’s bustling port. Join expert guide Gracelyn for a virtual stroll through the ancient city’s dense web of streets, and discover what it was really like to live in an ancient Roman town over two millennia ago. Thanks to high quality photos, videos and reconstructions we’ll be painting a fascinating portrait of ancient life in the harbour city, visiting restaurants and bathhouses, temples, bakeries, theatres and more. Discover how goods of every kind imaginable passed through Ostia’s marketplace and warehouses, feeding the greatest metropolis in antiquity. Our virtual Ostia tour will immerse you in the world of ancient Rome from the comfort of your own home – book your place today!

If the day of the week or start time of this group tour doesn't work for you, please email us at office@througheternity.com to arrange a suitable alternative date.

Tour Description

Meet your Guide: Gracelyn

Hi I’m Gracelyn! A native New Yorker with qualifications in Speech Communications Studies, classical theater, voice and drama, I’ve been living and working in Rome since 2006. After 13(!) trips to Rome over the years during which I couldn’t get enough of the city’s history, beauty, art and architecture, I decided to follow my heart, quitting my job in New York and pitching up in the Eternal City with 3 suitcases. I began my life in Rome by volunteering with the Pantheon choir and at Rome’s famous cat sanctuary (the site of Julius Caesar’s assassination!), where I gave tours showcasing the sanctuary’s mission. A licensed tour guide of Rome, I was introduced to Through Eternity in 2007 and have been happily collaborating and guiding with them ever since.

What Exactly is a Through Eternity Virtual Tour?  

The world of travel might be on hold right now, but just because we're all staying at home to help the world overcome a common enemy doesn't mean we have to put our wanderlust on the back burner. Frustrated with not being able to get our travel fix, we decided to transform our award-winning tours into immersive virtual experiences, meaning you can still explore Italy’s spectacular archaeological sites and jaw-dropping museums from the comfort of your own home. 

* Please note that the booking times are in US Eastern Standard Time and Rome, Italy CET is 6 hours ahead *

Fun and informative, our virtual tours take the form of online real-time presentations led by our expert guides. Combining videos, high-definition photos and more, our guides will be sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience with you on these interactive walkthroughs of Italy’s most fascinating sites. The live format of our virtual tours means you’ll be able to ask your guide anything you wish, just like on a normal tour. We really believe it's the next best thing to being here!

As a sign of our gratitude to those who are on the front line fighting the Coronavirus, we would be more than happy to invite all first responders, health workers and NHS workers to join our Virtual Tours for free. Please message our office staff directly!

Please note that the proceeds from our online tours go directly to our guides, providing them with a valuable lifeline in these tough times for the world of travel. Thank you for your support! 

Explore the incredible remains of Ostia Antica from home on our virtual tour

The vast ruins of Ostia Antica rival Pompeii for their size and incredible state of preservation, but are fare less known to visitors. Spectacularly sited in the Roman countryside surrounded by umbrella pines and swaying cypress trees, our virtual tour is the perfect opportunity to learn why the harbour city of Ostia was a vital cog in the massive machinery of the Roman empire.

Thanks to the wonders of technology we’ll be recreating the lives of the people who once lived and worked in this bustling port. Discover the mysteries of complex pagan rites in Ostia’s countless temples, and visit some of antiquity’s best preserved baths decorated with fabulous mosaics and learn all about the trade networks that sustained the metropolis that was ancient Rome in Ostia’s atmospheric marketplace.

As we pick our virtual way through the ruins, you’ll get a vivid sense of the massive logistical challenges involved in managing the largest empire the world had ever known. Goods of all kinds arrived here daily from the furthest flung corners of the known world: grain from Sardinia and wine from Greece; marble from Egypt and olive oil from Tunisia. More sinisterly, slaves from Turkey and exotic animals from India all passed through Ostia on their way to certain death in the Roman arena. In the city’s marketplace you’ll learn all about the economics and trade networks that sustained the city, deciphering incredible mosaics that represent the different kinds of goods traded here.

At Ostia the smallest details of daily life in the ancient world can be recreated with astonishing precision, and you might be amazed to discover how little some things have changed. Discover an ancient bakery and get a close-up look at the grain mills and ovens that churned out vast quantities of bread for a hungry populace, and admire mosaics that pay homage to the sea’s bounty at a fishmonger’s. Best of all, pop in to the extraordinary thermopolium - the ancient world’s equivalent of a fast-food restaurant - where the menu is advertised in vibrant mosaics on the walls. You can still practically smell the pungent aroma of fishy garum sauce lingering in the air.

Our virtual trip to the ancient world’s most important port is a unique opportunity to experience the distant age of antiquity come to life. Book your place on our online tour today, and get to know the ancient world’s best kept secret!

 

 

Tour Reviews

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