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We pick up you from the dock or any other place you wish. Today you have to be ready for an extensive tour that takes you in the past. We start the visit with Ostia Antica (ancient Ostia) starting at Via delle Tombe, which leads you to the Porta Romana, one of the city’s three gates.
This is the beginning of the Decumanus Maximus, the main thoroughfare that crosses the city from north-east to south-west. You will then arrive at the Terme di Nettuno, where you can admire the beautiful black and white mosaics representing Neptune and Amphitrite, the theatre built by Agrippa, and the Forum which formed the center of the city. Here you will discover the main public buildings, Il Capitolium, the temple of Rome and Augustus, the Basilica and the large thermal baths.Near the Forum square you will also find the House of Diana 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 Via dei Dipinti, a museum displays some of the ancient sculptures unearthed at Ostia. Before we leave Ostia there is for shure time to taste a delicious gelato in one of the many gelateria that the New Ostia town offers. Your Ostia Antica and Cerveteri Tour continues with a drive to the nearby Ceri, one of the most picturesque medieval villages in Italy. Ceri is a 13th century town with fortified walls that give it the appearance of a medieval fortress isolated on top of a steep hill of tufa, a type of limestone that is very common in Italy, and primarily used by the ancient Etruscans for their tombs, as you will soon discover in Cerveteri. Against the enchanting backdrop of this medieval setting you will have lunch fit for a king (it is just a suggestion andnot included in the price). Ceri is famous for its two excellent restaurants, “La Sora Lella” and “La Torre“. Both restaurants serve exquisite cuisine in the “Maremma Laziale” style, which is influenced by the Tuscan part of Maremma.
This cuisine is more linked to the inland than the sea. La Sora Lella won many awards and prizes for its Ravioli filled with artichokes, and many tour guests have raved that this particular entrée remains the best meal that they experienced during their visit to Italy. Another entrée that is different and delicious is the polenta served on a traditional wooden board, as it was done in the days gone past. After lunch, we will take a short drive to Cerveteri. Situated on the outskirts of Cerveteri, the Banditaccia Necropolis has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Sitealong with the Monterozzi Necropolis in Tarquinia. The Romans were not the first “big” civilization in Italy; the first ones to start commerce and cities were the mysterious yet amazingly advanced Etruscans. One of the most fascinating characteristics of this necropolis is that it spans over 6 centuries of the Etruscan civilization, making this the largest city of the dead in the Mediterranean area.You can see the progression of the early 9th Century BC Villanovan rock-cut trenches containing urns, to the complex 3rd century BC city-like planning of tombs with roads for processions.From primitive pottery ossuaries to elaborate hut shaped tombs carved out of the living tuffa rock and rich in structural details, you can see ancient cultural and architectural advancements unfold all around you. Although none of the Etruscan homes survived to this day, you can see the types of homes Etruscans lived in just by walking into their tombs! Considered permanent homes for the dead, the tombs were carved to resemble the interior of residential homes, lavishly designed with gabled roof, crossbeam, stone couches, chairs, and other architectural details. Of the many tombs you will visit, the most famous is the 4th century BC Tomb of the Reliefs that includes multiple funerary niches and relief carvings on the walls representing weapons as well as religious and domestic objects. Rarely crowded, this ancient city of the dead surrounded by Lazio’s majestic valley makes for a lovely and enjoyable stroll among the tombs. You may even find that you have it to yourself to explore at your leisure, leaving you alone with the overwhelming sense of holiness and peace on this sacred burial place… and if you listen closely enough, you just may hear the souls of the Etruscans speaking their hearts to you. At the end of the tour you’ll be back on board or other place of your choice, in perfect time. This tour includes: – Professional English-speaking driver, Transportation in Mercedes luxury AC van, snacks and beverages on board, all taxes and parking fees.