The Marble Slide for Water and Lovers

In the 4th century AD, Roman aristocrats began building luxurious homes in Ostia after commercial and craft structures were moved to Portus. One such residence, the House of Cupid and Psyche, was built in late antique style using opus listata. It was constructed directly over a row of 2nd-century shops, though two of those original shops remained in use, expanding into the porch that originally preceded them.

The entrance opens from a side door onto a central space paved with a multicolored geometric mosaic, with a private latrine accessible via a corridor. To the left are three small rooms, likely bedrooms; two are paved with black and white geometric mosaics, while the central one features opus sectile flooring and marble wall lining. In the center of this room, a marble support once held a small sculpture group of Cupid and Psyche.

Opposite the central room, four columns open onto a small internal garden featuring a nymphaeum. This water feature has a marble slide for the water to flow down and a podium with five semicircular niches. Above it, another five niches once held statues and were originally decorated with mosaics. At the back of the house, elevated by a step, is a reception room with high-quality opus sectile flooring and a niche with a fountain on the entrance wall.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons