Rome is the headline act, but Italy’s Roman ruins outside Rome deliver ancient drama with fewer crowds and gentler prices. Think evocative ports, theatres and mosaics, with straightforward trains and buses to keep things simple. Take more time for an aperitivo instead of queuing as you explore some of the most ancient UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy.
Ostia Antica: the ruined Roman city outside Rome
Slip out to Ostia Antica and you get a full Roman town without central Rome’s crowds or price tag. It feels like a time capsule by the Tiber mouth, with broad avenues, back‑street lanes and plenty of space to poke about in peace.
