Leaving Rome and following the road towards the sea, in about 30 minutes we arrive at the old port of Ostia, the best preserved Roman town after Pompeii. Ostia was founded around the 4th century BC by king Anco Marzio and became the harbour of Rome around which a flourishing trade and business centre developed throughout the following centuries, until, after the Barbarian invasions, when the port was abandoned and silted up, the decline of Ostia began. The visit will start at the Roman Gate of Porta Romana, past the statue of Minerva Victoria and the Forum which formed the centre of the city. Further on you will find the "Terme di Nettuno" (Baths of Neptune), where you can admire the beautiful black and white mosaics representing Neptune and Amphitrite; and the small restored theatre, capable of holding up to 3,000 spectators, built by Agrippa. Here you will find the main public and religious buildings: "Il Capitolium" and the Temple of Rome and Augustus, the Basilica and the huge thermal baths. Near by you will also find the House of Diana, which still has its first floor intact and the Thermopolium, an ancient Roman bar with a marble counter and a fresco depicting the fruit and foodstuffs that were sold there. At the end of the street, the Museo Ostiense displays some of the ancient sculptures and mosaics found among the ruins. A wonderful walk through the past.