In the heart of the Lazio region, south of the Tiber river and north of Mount Circeo, one of the oldest testimonies of the splendour of the Roman Empire, Ostia, has survived for centuries. With its surface area of about 150 hectares Ostia is, together with Pompeii, the largest open-air archaeological site in the world

The history of Ancient Ostia

As for its date of foundation there are some uncertainties deriving from the discrepancy from historical sources: eminent testimonies of historians such as Titus Livy, Quintus Hynio and Cicero, tell us about a foundation wanted by King Anco Marzio in VII B.C., testimonies that would make Ostia the first Roman colony.