Ostia Antica--Ancient Rome's Port

Ciao!
Let me settle into my aperitivo.  It was a good day.  I did not have to take a single bus!
Had the Archeological Park of Ancient Ostia been open yesterday, I would have gone.  It's much easier to get to than Hadrian's Villa.  The ruins aren't as magnificent, but there's a whole city to explore.
Do you not get tired of ruins, Pil?
No.  No, I don't.
I began with a trip to my local grocery coming back with some aperitivo basics like olives and proscicutto.  I have to eat my fill of cured meat here, since I don't eat it at home or not more than once or twice a year.
Then I and my metro pass set out.  I had a longish ride out to Piramide, but not as long as yesterday. The train station of Porta San Paulo is right there, and I did not even have to reinsert my pass.  I just got on the train.  It's about a half hour ride to Ostia Antica--that's the name of the stop and not a very interesting or scenic one.  I got off and followed the crowd into the underpass, and we emerged.  I saw I sign in Italian with directions on how to get to the park and off I went. It was very basic Italian.  I'm no linguist.  I just happen to understand the words for footbridge.
My strategy for enjoying historical sites and museums is to get as far away from school and tour groups as possible.  I love my own students.  I have no use for other people's.  Fortunately although Ostia Antica is justly popular, it's also large.  I made my way down the long length of Roman pavement of the Decumanus.  Rome itself grew organically and was rather haphazard, but when the Romans founded a town, they planned it out carefully in a grid.  The two main streets were the Decumanus and the Cardo that met at right angles. Then the land was divided into blocks, which can be clearly seen at Ostia.
I worked my way back enjoying some peace and quiet as well as the buildings and occasional mosaic.  I liked it because I got a sense of everyday life in a Roman city and how people lived and what public amenities they enjoyed and what civic institutions governed them.
If you are not a fan of ruins and you come to Rome, the Forum and the Palatine will do, but if you are interested in Roman urban planning and life, then it is worth taking the easy trip to Ostia Antica.  By the way the name of the town means "mouth" as it was the mouth of the Tiber River.  Ostia used to be right on the coast of the Mediterranean, but two thousand years have taken their toll and it is a few miles inland. I climbed several structures--the ones we were allowed to climb--hoping for a glimpse of the Med.  I did see the new port, but I did not see the water.