Parco dei Ravennati

Ostia Antica's Parco dei Ravennati occupies archaeologically rich ground beside the medieval borgo. Excavations have revealed a mausoleum, a domus and burials on the eastern periphery of the ancient city.

Why it matters

The park lies beside the borgo walls, between the Castello di Giulio II and the remains of ancient Ostia. Excavations since the 2000s have uncovered tombs, a circular mausoleum and a domestic building in this part of the ancient city's periphery. The discoveries add evidence about the suburbium beyond Ostia's monumental centre.

What to notice

Low structures and excavation areas mark the remains of the burial ground, a small circular mausoleum of late antiquity and a domus. The park's setting also frames the fortress, including its moat, ravelin and towers, while the restored borgo wall and terraced houses run along one side.

Context and history

The castle and borgo rose in the fifteenth century at a bend in the Tiber that controlled Rome's approach to the sea. After the flood of 1557 shifted the river into a new bed, the fortress lost its purpose and the surrounding land returned to fields and later neighbourhood use. Archaeological campaigns recorded in 2012 and 2013, coordinated by the Soprintendenza with university teams, brought renewed attention to Ostia's less-explored eastern periphery.