While vacationing on a small island near Puerto Rico, I found a funny sign on a fruit stand. It read, “Opened some days, closed others”. The management of the ancient Roman cemetery of Portus shares this philosophy, as it is only open 4 days a week and only upon request. Let me tell you, I don’t always share this laid-back, Roman attitude. Lately, its been getting on my nerves. But, after suffering the sweltering, high-season, Vatican crowds, this place looked like Eden.
I easily booked our reservation by mail the day before the visit, and on a sunny day in November, a friend and I arrived at this peaceful oasis, a mere 6 minute drive from the International Airport Leonardo da Vinci. The guard and his 2 dogs welcomed us warmly, and we could wander the ruins of this ancient cemetery for hours, escorted only by one of the pups. No one else was there. Nobody stopped us from entering each and every single tomb. In complete solitude, we marveled at the beauty of the decorations and the stories they told of the lives of those buried there.
I easily booked our reservation by mail the day before the visit, and on a sunny day in November, a friend and I arrived at this peaceful oasis, a mere 6 minute drive from the International Airport Leonardo da Vinci. The guard and his 2 dogs welcomed us warmly, and we could wander the ruins of this ancient cemetery for hours, escorted only by one of the pups. No one else was there. Nobody stopped us from entering each and every single tomb. In complete solitude, we marveled at the beauty of the decorations and the stories they told of the lives of those buried there.
The main street in the Necropolis of Portus
This necropolis (city of the dead) was build in the first century A.D., following the growth of the city of Portus, the new port built by the Emperor Claudius and developed by the Emperor Trajan. This port, a hexagonal basin, was built by Trajan to protect the ships from the storms and the harbor from the encroaching sands of the river, Tiber.
The Necropolis of Portus was discovered in 1925, and about 150 tombs were dredged from the silt accumulating since the fall of the Roman Empire.
Most of the tombs are red brick family tombs. The ones most capturing my imagination tell the stories of their inhabitants. In one, an elegant stucco shows the deceased’s passion for wine, depicting him riding his horse in reverse in his inebriated state. In another, a midwife is shown helping a woman in childbirth and a doctor is dressing another patient’s leg. Some other tombs depict the trade of the deceased, one an artisan, another a miller. Many have intricate mosaics at their entrances, a sort of stone welcome mat for visitors. Some of the more exotic decorations, crocodiles and hippopotamus, are reminders of the deceased’s travels and trade with the African provinces.
The Necropolis of Portus was discovered in 1925, and about 150 tombs were dredged from the silt accumulating since the fall of the Roman Empire.
Most of the tombs are red brick family tombs. The ones most capturing my imagination tell the stories of their inhabitants. In one, an elegant stucco shows the deceased’s passion for wine, depicting him riding his horse in reverse in his inebriated state. In another, a midwife is shown helping a woman in childbirth and a doctor is dressing another patient’s leg. Some other tombs depict the trade of the deceased, one an artisan, another a miller. Many have intricate mosaics at their entrances, a sort of stone welcome mat for visitors. Some of the more exotic decorations, crocodiles and hippopotamus, are reminders of the deceased’s travels and trade with the African provinces.
 | Useful tips: You need a car to reach this area from Rome city center in about 40 minutes. Otherwise if you have some hours before your connecting flight you can take a taxi from the arrivals of Leonardo da Vinci International Airport of Rome. From the Airport it is only 6 minutes by car. You can have a seaside lunch in the town of Fiumicino. You can also visit the nature park around the port and the ruins of the docks. Nearby is also the ancient Port of Rome, Ostia Antica, one of my favorite places in Rome. If you need any further information, contact me through http://www.mylovelyrome.com |
