This contribution reconstructs the role played by architectural magazinesin the dissemination in Italy and abroad of ancient Ostia antica rediscovery fromthe end of the 19th century. The aim is to highlight how the publication ofOstia in a state of ruin, restored or reconstructed, has led a gradualassimilation of ancient constructive and urban characteristics in the societyand culture, to promote urban interventions capable of combining innovationwith ancient world references.