Ancient Sites of Italy — Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide
Ancient Sites of Italy — Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide
Notable moments
- 00:14 Walking through the Roman Forum
Rick Steves walks along the ancient stone pathway surrounded by ruins of ancient temples and columns in the Roman Forum. He explains the 1,000-year timeline of classical Rome from the Republic era to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
Roman Forum, Rome, Italy - 02:23 Julius Caesar's Cremation Altar
Visitors stand before the stone altar inside the Temple of Caesar in the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar's body was cremated in 44 BC. Fresh flowers and coins left by modern admirers cover the earthen mound at the base of the stone wall.
Roman Forum, Rome, Italy - 03:18 Exploring Ostia Antica Ancient Port Town
The camera pans across the extensive brick ruins and stone paved avenues of Ostia Antica, Rome's ancient port city. Visitors walk among preserved apartment complexes, storehouses, and tree-lined plazas that once served 60,000 residents.
Ostia Antica, Italy - 04:30 Baths of Neptune Mosaics in Ostia
Overhead views reveal detailed black-and-white floor mosaics depicting Neptune driving four sea horses through the ocean alongside dolphins and sea monsters. The artwork decorated the floor of a large pool in the ancient public bathhouse.
Ostia Antica, Italy - 04:50 Ancient Theater of Ostia Antica
School children wearing toga-style tunics sit on the stone tiers of the preserved semi-circular Roman theater while two students perform on the central stage floor. The venue once seated 4,000 spectators for daytime theatrical performances and public events.
Ostia Antica, Italy - 06:54 Visiting an Ancient Fast-Food Bar
Rick Steves and a local guide stand at a marble counter inside an ancient Roman thermopolium, or neighborhood fast-food diner. They examine the counter setup, display shelves, and a painted wall mural menu depicting food, drink, and musical entertainment.
Ostia Antica, Italy - 07:29 Roman Public Latrine in Ostia Antica
Rick and his guide walk through a preserved communal Roman restroom featuring stone bench seating with keyhole cutouts over a continuous drainage trench. The guide explains how running water continuously flushed the channel beneath the seats in ancient times.
Ostia Antica, Italy - 08:02 Biking along the Appian Way
Rick Steves rides a bicycle along the basalt cobblestones of the Appian Way, framed by umbrella pines and ancient stone tombs. He points out original paving stones and roadside monuments built by wealthy Romans to memorialize their families.
Appian Way, Rome, Italy - 09:19 Catacombs of San Sebastiano
Visitors gather outside the Church of San Sebastiano before heading down into the narrow, multi-tiered underground tunnels lined with carved burial niches. The guide explains how early Christians buried their dead in these extensive subterranean networks outside the city walls.
Catacombs of San Sebastiano, Rome, Italy - 10:03 Walking through Park of the Aqueducts
Tall stone arches of the Aqua Claudia stretch across green fields under pine trees, where local residents walk dogs, jog, and ride bikes. Rick explains how these engineering marvels brought fresh water from distant mountains to supply over a million ancient Romans.
Park of the Aqueducts, Rome, Italy - 11:00 Mount Vesuvius Volcano Crater
Rick Steves sits along the rocky rim of Mount Vesuvius' steep volcanic crater looking down into the ash-filled basin. He narrates the devastating 79 AD eruption that buried Pompeii under 20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice in 18 hours.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy - 11:20 Walking through the Ruins of Pompeii
Panoramic views show the vast excavated streets, colonnaded forum, and stone houses of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius looming in the background. Tourists explore the paved thoroughfares featuring raised stepping stones designed to keep pedestrian feet dry above street runoff.
Pompeii, Italy - 13:33 Exploring the Forum Baths in Pompeii
Italian archaeologist Gaetano Manfredi guides Rick Steves through the preserved Tepidarium, Caldarium, and Frigidarium inside Pompeii's public bathhouse. He demonstrates how double walls and raised hollow floors circulated hot air from wood fires to create ancient steam rooms.
Pompeii, Italy - 15:26 Plaster Casts of Pompeii Victims
Rick Steves and archaeologist Gaetano Manfredi inspect glass display cases containing plaster casts of human bodies preserved in their exact final poses at the moment of eruption. The guide explains how 19th-century archaeologists injected liquid plaster into hollow cavities left in the hardened ash by decomposed bodies.
Pompeii, Italy - 16:14 Bikini Girls Mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale
Visitors walk along elevated gangways overlooking pristine 4th-century floor mosaics inside a luxury Roman villa in Sicily. The famous Bikini Girls mosaic depicts female athletes participating in weightlifting, discus throwing, running, and ball games while wearing two-piece garments.
Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily, Italy
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