The Via Appia Antica, built in 312 BC by the censor Appio Claudio Cieco, is one of the most famous Roman streets, also known as Regina Viarum. It started from Rome and extended to Brindisi, with significant military and strategic importance. The road was built in paving stones, with two separate carriageways and dirt pavements.
The road was built with significant engineering works, overcoming natural difficulties.
The road foundation consisted of paving, made of slabs of volcanic basalt, allowing the passage of two carts in both directions. The road had a military and strategic function, as well as being lined with villas and funerary monuments.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Appian Way fell into disuse but came back into favor in the Middle Ages as a pilgrimage route to the Holy Land. During the Renaissance, efforts for its recovery and restoration began, and today it is one of the most important tourist attractions in Rome.
The route of the Via Appia Antica is included in the Appia Antica Regional Park, which covers a vast area also including the Caffarella Valley and the Aqueducts area.
Along the route of the Via Appia Antica, there are numerous attractions, including the Catacombs of San Callisto, the Basilica of San Sebastiano, the Villa of Maxentius, the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, the Villa dei Quintili, the Tumuli of the Horatii, the Casal Rotondo and the Selce Tower. Each place has its history and archaeological importance.
There are also other places of interest along the Via Appia Antica, such as the Fosse Ardeatine, a symbol of Italian resistance during the Second World War, and the remains of the aqueduct that powered the Villa dei Quintili.
USEFUL LINK
https://www.parcoappiaantica.it/smart-info-ita-eng/
How to get there: (we have chosen public transport)
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