Ostia Antica was an amazing tour for me because of our tour guide. Her name was Francesca Caruso. She really taught me how to take my thoughts and put myself into the objects that I was observing. She told our class that when we are on these tours and look at the Ancient Roman ruins or historical monuments, that we should close our eyes and imagine ourselves in that time. She said that we needed to forget about our lives and really try to pretend what it was like to live like the Ancient Romans in Ostia Antica. Ostia Antica was an ancient Roman town that all the imports had to pass through before going to Rome or other parts of Italy. In Ostia Antica there are tombs for the people that had died.
Also there was a theatre for plays and acting which I thought was an amazing thing to see. It was amazing because it was still in pretty good shape and you could see where the men in their togas sat and you could see the stage.
If I closed my eyes as the tour guide suggested, I could see the actors putting on a show. Also, as I walked on the Roman Roads that went through the city I could see the men riding their horses through the town and stopping for water at the well that was in the middle of the street. I looked at the bathing rooms and could close my eyes and imagine rich,wealthy men all sitting around the bath talking about important details in their everyday lives. The cafeteria looks so real with the clerk desk and the arched ceilings. I could feel the energy of smiles and happy gatherings in that room with bread and wine. Francesca really helped me connect with the old buildings I was seeing and she taught me to really connect with all the amazing pieces of history that we have gotten to witness on this trip. Now every time I go to a museum, I really try to put myself into the paintings or sculptures or even the buildings point-of-view, and try to pretend to be living in that painting to really connect with it.
Molly Bruns

Theatre At Ostia Antica
Photo By: Molly Bruns