Tag: Ostia Antica

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has the very warped theme of Twisted, which gives ample opportunity for something a bit outside the norm 🙂

Of course, from twisted minds come twisted images, and I have been known to provide a little warp to what I see.  Then again, there was something rather quotidian that we observed during our vacation in Italy, last year…

This spiral staircase twists toward the sky, as medieval footstep could be traced coming down toward a place of oblivion: prison cells!  Never mind getting blocked on twitter, as during these days you may get chained to the wall of a dank cell.  The construction of these stairs is rather amazing, as each stone tread was carefully placed into the wall and was still in perfect position after centuries of use.

May your road rise up to meet you and not be too twisty!

The WordPress Daily Post prompt has the lovely theme of Enamored; definitely this is something that most of us humans can relate.

The prompt immediately made me think of one of the images that I captured during our Italian vacation.  While visiting the stunning excavations in Ostia Antica, we came across this lovely statue…

These star-crossed lovers from times long past are not from Verona, which provided them with a far less tragic fate!  The excavations are well worth a couple of days of exploration, as they provide a wonderful picture of life in the olden days.

Hope you enjoy!

Saturday was our travel day from Ostia Antica to Colordesoli, up in Tuscany. Before we left Ostia Antica, we wanted to take the opportunity to visit the papal castle of Julius II, as it is open for visiting during the weekend.

I mentioned Julius II in a previous post; he was nicknamed ‘The Fearsome Pope’ or ‘The Warrior Pope’ likely due to his rather active foreign policy.  He was elected to the papacy unanimously in 1503, due to a bit of backroom dealing, in which he made the Borgias believe that they would get lots of money as a result of his election.

However, upon getting elected, he stated:

“I will not live in the same rooms as the Borgias lived. He [Alexander VI] desecrated the Holy Church as none before. He usurped the papal power by the devil’s aid, and I forbid under the pain of excommunication anyone to speak or think of Borgia again. His name and memory must be forgotten. It must be crossed out of every document and memorial. His reign must be obliterated. All paintings made of the Borgias or for them must be covered over with black crepe. All the tombs of the Borgias must be opened and their bodies sent back to where they belong—to Spain.”

He very much became his own Pope and was ambitious in building, as much as striking out into foreign lands.  His building projects included the destruction and rebuilding of the St. Peter Basilica (it wasn’t big enough before) and the commission of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

The castle in Ostia Antica is not huge by castle standards, but nonetheless very impressive.  It is clearly set up for battle, both inside the castle and taking on any siege that may be laid upon it.  Canon and gun ports are everywhere, and they even used the residual heat from gun fire to warm that water for bathing.  In its more recent past, the castle has also been used as a prison, as evidenced by prisoner’s markings on the walls of cells, counting down the days till their death.

The guided tour of the castle is full of information, and even though our tour was in Italian, a couple of our fellow tour participants were nice enough to provide us English translation of a number of tour highlights.  So, if you’re in Ostia Antica during a weekend, check out the Castello de Giulio II!

On our first full day in Italia, we focused on the nearby opportunity of visiting Il Scavi de Ostia Antica (the excavations of Ostia Antica).  For the very reasonable price of 8 euros, you get more than a day’s worth of exploration at this amazing site.  To put it mildly, a single day is not enough to appreciate all the wonderful structures that have been excavated at this old harbor of Ancient Rome; the route of the Tiber was right by Ostia Antica 2,000 years ago.

We decided to explore on our own with the map that we purchased, and we were immediately astonished by the detail that has been preserved across the millennia.  Get off the main thoroughfares to look at the plaques that are sometimes hidden from direct view to get to the really good stuff!

After well over 5 hours of exploring on a beautiful Italian Spring day, we decided to call it a day and go for a gelato.  We didn’t see everything, but did unearth some rather cool items that definitely are not seen by everyone; most tour groups appear to focus on a shorter route than we took, and when we got to the further regions of this park, we were rewarded with quiet time and some hidden treasures.

Minerva as Winged Victory

Dolphin Gang with Neptune

Strutting your Stuff!

Amor and Psyche making out

Diana’s Bar and Kitchen

View across the Ruins

Poppies among the Ruins

Temple of Ceres

Through the Portal

Hercules hanging

Sacrificial Cow

Ruins among us

Our decision to base ourselves in Ostia Antica first appears to have been solid thus far, particularly after a great meal at La Bussola, which I recommend highly with fresh, well-prepared food and friendly service!

Tomorrow, we strike out into Roma!