Rome & Lazio - Italy - page 310

Behind the amphitheatre is the Piazzale delle Corporazioni (Forum of the Corporations),
the offices of Ostia's merchant guilds, which sport mosaics depicting the different in-
terests of each business.
The Forum , Ostia's main square, is dominated by the huge Capitolium , a temple built by
Hadrian and dedicated to the main Roman deities - Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.
Nearby is another must-see: the Thermopolium , an ancient cafe. Check out the bar, sur-
mounted by a frescoed menu, the kitchen and small courtyard where customers would
have sat next to a fountain and relaxed with a drink. Across the road are some spectacu-
larly well-preserved latrines, set in a sociable crescent, part of the Terme di Foro complex.
For more modern facilities, there's a cafeteria/bar complex with toilets, a gift shop and
a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi excavated on-site.

Castello di Giulio II
( 06 5635 8044; Piazza della Rocca; entry by free guided tours only 11am Thu, 11am & noon Sun)
Near the entrance to the excavations is this imposing castle, an impressive example of
15th-century military architecture, which lost its purpose when a freak flood changed the
course of the river, making the location less accessible.

CASTLE

Eating

Ristorante Cipriani
( 06 5635 2956; Via del Forno 11; meals €25; lunch Thu-Tue, dinner Mon, Tue, Thu-Sun) Dine on
Roman staples such as pasta alla gricia (with lardons and onion) and cacio e pepe , while
seated in a cobbled street by the castle. They do a bargain menu at €10.

RISTORANTE €

Getting There & Away

From Rome, take the Ostia Lido train from Stazione Porta San Paolo (next to Piramide
metro station), getting off at Ostia Antica. Trains leave half-hourly and the trip, which is
covered by standard public-transport tickets, takes approximately 25 minutes. On arrival,
walk over the pedestrian bridge. Go straight ahead and you'll see the castle to your right
and the ruins straight ahead.
By car, take Via del Mare, which runs parallel to Via Ostiense, and follow signs for the
scavi (ruins).