The Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican. These are the first things that come to mind when you think of visiting Rome. And that’s just it. Everyone thinks of visiting these popular cultural sights on their Roman holiday and they end up becoming so crowded that it’s hard to enjoy them.

On my last trip to Italy, I had a spare night in Rome as I made my way back from Venice to New York. Instead of staying near the city center, I decided to stay near Fiumicino Airport. What a surprise it was to discover Ostia. 

Ostia is a neighborhood of Rome bordering on the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is where the Romans come when they want a quick beach escape. It’s also a popular getaway for the long summer holiday.

We ventured out of our hotel in search of dinner that same night. We walked to Piazza Anco Marzio, where palm trees flanked the long pedestrian street. The area was bustling with locals sitting outside and enjoying the different restaurants. 

We decided to go for Italian food (of course!) and it was the most authentic Italian food we had during our entire two-week trip. The restaurant was Antico Traiano, a good spot for late night dinners and seafood.The menus are printed to look like large newspapers covered in the history of the restaurant as well as a long list of tasty dishes.

The house wine was served by the carafe and the gnocchi were al dente. We also had grilled calamari, clam pasta and fried seafood. Everything tasted as good as if it has been prepared at home by an Italian grandma. 

The next morning we had breakfast included with our hotel and after filling our bellies with fresh fruits, eggs, cheese, yogurt and honey (which we spooned directly from a honeycomb) we decided to take a look at the town during the day time.

We explored the Pontile di Ostia, a small pier that goes out into the ocean with an observation deck at the end. The fresh breeze stroke our faces while the sun shone above. It was great to see people sunbathing and swimming. These were locals and this is where they came to vacation.

Kids played on a rock formation in the water to our right, while the statue of Neptune stood guard. On our left, bathers arrived to the Battistini where they rented beach chairs and umbrellas for their beach day.

As we walked back to our hotel to pick up our luggage a feeling of relaxation washed over us. There was simply no better way to end our Italian getaway than in this off-the-beaten-path location.

Useful information:

Where to stay?
Fly Deco Hotel
Address: Lungomare Paolo Toscanelli 52a, 00122 Lido di Ostia Italy

Where to eat?
Antico Traiano

Where to beach?
Battistini Beach