history

Not far from the Renaissance village, in via della Gente Salinatoria, there is one of the most important buildings for its historical and social value, the ancient wash houses of Ostia Antica, known as “Le Fontane”. The building was designed by the architect Raffaele De Vico in 1931, as part of the interventions for the arrangement of the gardens adjacent to the Borgo di Ostia Antica, first called gardens of Porto and later Parco dei Ravennati. It is one of the first buildings made of reinforced concrete, decorated with square section columns of classical inspiration.

Just in front of the archaeological area of ​​Ostia Antica is the equally interesting medieval area, the so-called “Borgo”. It was founded in the 9th century by Gregory IV for defensive purposes, as the inhabitants found refuge from Saracen raids inside.

This last article closes the column on the monuments of the Borgo di Ostia Antica. The ancient village owes its origin to the decline of Ostia Antica. In the Middle Ages, in fact, the city was gradually abandoned and a modest village was built behind it, around the church dedicated to Sant’Aurea. This first inhabited nucleus took the name of “Gregoriopoli”, from its founder Gregorio IV. The pontiff, in the ninth century, decided to protect the few inhabitants by building a fortification that could defend them from Saracen raids.

The exhibition “The Treasure of Antiquities. Winckelmann and the Capitoline Museum in eighteenth-century Rome “, at the Capitoline Museums from 7 December 2017 to 22 April 2018, intends to celebrate the founding father of modern archeology, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his birth (9 December 1717) and the 250th anniversary of his death (June 8, 1768).

On the occasion of the 1900th anniversary of Trajan’s death, Rome pays homage to this great emperor with the exhibition “Traiano. Building the empire, creating Europe “, which can be visited until 16 September 2018 at the Mercati di Traiano.

Just outside the walls of the ancient village of Ostia is the monument in honor of the Ravenna laborers, thanks to whom the reclamation of Ostia took place. In the nineteenth century, in fact, the territory was an unhealthy swamp prey to malaria and other diseases.

Since ancient times, the salt pans of the Roman coast were one of the most important places for salt production and a significant source of livelihood for the area. For this reason, there were several warehouses used for its storage before being transported to Rome by river.

A primitive structure of the Episcope probably existed as early as the Middle Ages, but very little is known about it. In 1511 Raffaele Riario obtained the bishopric of Ostia and decided to enlarge the building. A new wing was built on the right side of the Church of Sant’Aurea, forming a single block with it.

An extraordinary but unfortunately little known archaeological site, the necropolis of Porto actually represents a unicum in the context of Roman burial grounds. Thanks to its exceptional conservation, due to the layers of sand that have protected the tombs for many centuries, it is possible to understand what an ancient Roman necropolis must have been like.

Another symbol of the Borgo di Ostia Antica is represented by the church dedicated to Sant’Aurea. There is little news regarding the saint. From the Acts of the Martyrs we know that she came from a noble Roman family and that she was martyred under Claudius the Gothic in the third century. His body, thrown into the sea and carried ashore by the waves, was buried “foras muros portae Ostiae”, in an area already used for burials in the imperial age.