Rome & Ostia Antica

Day 10: Arrivederci!

As we left our hotel on the morning of the 10th day, our tour was over– too soon, it seemed!  Trying to make the most of what time we had before we had to catch the train to Ostia Antica & our hotel for the night, we left early for Santa Maria Della Vittoria church, which is home to Bernini’s “St. Theresa in Ecstasy.”  We had the church to ourselves, except for the monk who ran the gift shop.

Next, we caught a cab to the Vatican once again, this time (since it was Wednesday) to see the Papal Audience.  We were not able to get tickets because we decided very late that we wanted to go, but if you are interested, go to the Church of Santa Susanna’s website for directions on how to sign up.  When we got there, we were still able to see the Pope, riding in his Pope-mobile, from the other side of the barricade.  Once he had begun speaking, we were allowed to get closer.  It was inspiring to see the spiritual leader of all Catholics in person, and equally inspiring to see the joy and excitement in the faces of the pilgrims who had come so far just to see him! 

Afterward, we travelled back across the Tiber River to do some shopping, then collect our bags and head for the Train Station.  We took the Leonardo Express to Fiumicino, the location of our airport (we were flying out early the next morning) and near to our hotel, the Euro House Inn, and Ostia Antica, the final ‘must see’ site on our list. 

Day 10 Continued: Ostia Antica

The Leonardo Express was very easy to get tickets for & take, especially since we learned afterwards that there had been a Taxi strike in Rome that afternoon, so we would have been stuck if that had been our chosen mode of transportation.  We bought our tickets from kiosks in the train station, boarded and were soon on our way, watching the Roman countryside go by. 

We arrived at our hotel just in time to drop our bags, get back in the cab and go to Ostia Antica, home to the ruins of the “Port of Rome.”  If I had planned it better, we would have taken an earlier train to allow for more time at Ostia, but it was still spectacular.  Ostia doesn’t get the credit it deserves (I think that the ruins easily rival Pompeii and other places), but I guess that is part of it’s charm– we had it almost entirely to ourselves!  There are spectacular mosaics, inscriptions, carvings and structures, all with tall grasses and flowering trees all around.  The beautiful sunset over the well-worn stones made up for the short amount of time we got to spend there before they closed.  All I can say is: GO SEE OSTIA ANTICA!

After we left the ruins, we wandered around Ostia looking for dinner.  As it was still the off-season, there weren’t many places open on a week night, but that was fortuitous, because we ended up eating at a little by-the-slice pizza place, “Che Pizza! De Federica”  I would be willing to swear under oath that this was the best pizza I’d ever had in my life– and I enjoy both making and eating pizza.  It was that good!  It was also the best possible ending to a perfect trip! There are no Webcams for the Ruins, but here’s one of the town.

Day 11: Flying Home

After calling a cab to pick us up from the pizza place and take us back to our nice, clean, well-stocked hotel rooms, we put our gear back into our bags for the last time and got ready to fly home.

In the morning, the hotel drove us to the airport and we were on our way back.  Sad (except for the slices of pizza we had brought along), I stared out the window as we crossed Europe, heading West.  An hour into the flight, however, the Pilot called our attention to a city passing beneath us– Paris!

All of a sudden, we found ourselves planning again for our next trip and what tours, people and adventures might be waiting for us!

Next, see some of the more humorous moments of the trip!

“Saint Theresa in Ecstasy”

The Mosaics of Ostia Antica

A sea of Pilgrims before the Pope

The Train to Fiumicino

Along these stones, Rome’s lifeblood once flowed in the form of trade brought into the port of Ostia

A boat-shaped fountainhead sits long-dry

“Bibe”- Drinks!

What’s left of this statue still stands, though the empire is long gone

I’m still amazed at how wonderful the weather and the flowers were throughout the trip!

One last family photo before we go

Ostia’s amazing mosaics & structures

Next time…. Will it be Paris? 

Masks at the amphitheater

Our group– when Rick said “No Grumps,” I didn’t think he could actually deliver on that guarantee, but here they all are: The best group of people you could ever hope to travel with!  I only wish the tour had been longer, so that I could have gotten to know everyone better! 

Photo courtesy  of Jim– Thanks, Jim!

Italy, Florence in particular, is famous for the intricate door knockers around their towns– both on major attractions and on private residences.  I ended up taking pictures of so many, I decided to make myself a poster, using Kodak.com’s Collage Maker.