English
The Appian Way: An Historical Walk Down a 2,300 Year Old Roman Road
The plate for the ancient Appian Way, image by Livioandronico2013 sourced from Wikimedia Commons
The moment tourists get to Rome, they can’t wait to see the Colosseum and Forum.
Their first thought, along with where to eat the best pasta, is just how much time to allocate to see the city’s most famous landmarks – Vatican City, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain…
Thousands of people literally plan their Roman days like this, year after year. However, to those who enjoy a twist in their holiday plans, I tend to suggest to go visit the Appian way first… And then go see everything else!
South of the center of the city, far from the crowded landmarks of the center of Rome, there is a 2,300 year old road that is beautifully preserved.
You can walk on stretches of it, original paving and all, in the middle of the countryside, gaining a different perspective on the importance of the Roman legacy on our modern lives.
Why is the Appian Way important?
A common scene on the Appian Way! Image by Gianfranco sourced from Wikimedia Commons
The Appian Way was the first Roman “highway”. It was used to connect the city to such areas as Capua, north of Naples, eventually reaching Brindisi, in the Apulia region.
In a way, the Appian Way is ancient Rome’s way of showing off its muscles.
It was built to supply the troops who were fighting against the Samnites people in south-central Italy at that time and it can be considered as the city’s “tool” to attempt expansion.
This 2,300 year old Roman road is also used to this day, which makes it different than any other similar pathways found by archaeologists. You heard that right, you can see cars drive on parts of it for much part of the week (not on Sundays!).
This alone, to me, is key to the charm of the Appian Way: you can really see how the Roman infrastructure stood the test of time, and at the same time you get a surreal feeling of living two distinct eras at once.
To add to the road’s mystique, it’s not at all uncommon to walk down the road and happen upon herds of sheep or goats, and this just a few blocks away from the busy train/subway station at Piramide/Roma Ostiense! Or less than 2 miles south from Piazza Venezia!
Watch out for the “other” Appian Way
When you plan your visit here, you need to remember that there are two Appian Ways: the ancient Appian Way is the main character of this post. It’s called Appia Antica in Italian and you’ll see it indicated as such on books, on bus timetables, on signs.
The Appia Nuova road, the New Appian Way, was on the other hand built in the 16th century. Today it’s a modern, chaotic, busy city road in the same general area, for a bit running parallel to the ancient one.
Needless to say: if you’ll reach the New Appian Way you’ll be very underwhelmed and you won’t find any trace of the glorious past of the Eternal City!
A (very) short history of the Appian Way
The Appian Way in a postcard from 1880, image sourced from Pinterest
The saying “all roads lead to Rome” is somehow a consequence of the success of the Appian Way. When it was built, incredibly enough, Romans couldn’t rely on a network of roads: just a few ones existed, and largely inherited from the Etruscans.
The Appian Way, as mentioned, was planned 2,300 years ago for merely military purposes. Rome was losing a war against the Samnite people because it could not get troops and supplies fast enough south of Rome.
The magistrate Appius Claudius Caecus forced the hand of the Roman Senate, which was failing to take a decision regarding the war, and decided to build the road to get soldiers and provisions to the front.
Over time, the Appian Way became crucial for more than just military operations and it was rightly named after the man who built it… and nicknamed the Regina Viarum – the Queen of Roads!
The fact that we can still appreciate it today is not at all obvious. Immediately after the end of WWII, the city of Rome needed houses, and lots of them. One of the expansion areas coincided with this old Roman road.
Developers and contractors targeted the ancient Appian Way, as it was crucial because it was sandwiched between the San Giovanni and EUR districts.
It is thanks to the famous archaeologist-journalist Antonio Cederna if we can still enjoy what is now known as the Appian Way Park – he campaigned and fought against the uncontrolled “concreting” of this place.
What is there to see on the Appian Way?
It’s not just a 2,300 year old roman road!
The Appian Way can be likened to a modern open-air museum, where strict controls are in place to avoid that nothing is built tearing down, even if by accident, some archaeological remains in the process.
Every construction was left as it was when the Appian Way Park was first established. This means that medieval buildings or swanky villas stand shoulder to shoulder with catacombs, churches and the remains of ancient imperial mansions.
You heard that right: people live (and work) on the Appian Way. They have since time immemorial: there are cafés, restaurants, body shops, even a police station! That’s the beauty of this unique living monument, so don’t be weirded out by the odd juxtapositions.
There is more than one thing to see on the Appian Way. It is not just an “old place where you can walk on Roman cobblestones” – keep your eyes open to everything you may encounter along the way!
What follows is my personal selection of where to stop, from north to south, among the many landmarks that are found in this area.
Porta San Sebastiano
Porta San Sebastiano (Gate of Saint Sebastian) on the Appian Way, image sourced from leviedelgiubileo.it
Your walk on the old Appian Way begins here.
These are the best preserved gates in the ancient Roman walls, named after the nearby Catacombs of Saint Sebastian. The towers in the gate are the home to “Museo delle Mura”, Museum of the Walls, which is free-entrance and only open in the mornings. I wrote about the museum in detail in this post.
Via di Porta San Sebastiano, 18.
Complesso Ex Cartiera Latina
A former paper mill built on one of Rome’s minor rivers, the Almone. It is now a center for contemporary arts and photography, and houses astounding temporary exhibitions by Italian and international artists.
Via Appia Antica, 42.
Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis
You probably know the story of how Saint Peter was trying to flee Rome and escape martyrdom when Jesus appeared to him, asking “Where are you going?”.
He felt so ashamed and heartbroken at this “confrontation” that he went back into the city, accepting his fate. A church – this one – was built in the spot where the vision happened, and takes its name from the question that was asked of Peter.
Via Appia Antica, 51.
The Catacombs
The Popes’ Crypt at Saint Callixtus, image by Dnalor01 sourced from Wikimedia Commons
Saint Sebastian’s and Saint Callixtus’s are known as Rome’s major underground catacombs, but there are more of those on both sides of the Appian Way!
On the Appia-Pignatelli road, a bypass for the proper Appian Way, you can find the Catacombs of Praetextatus and an ancient Jewish cemetery, the Vigna Randanini.
Similarly, the Catacombs of Saint Domitilla are on nearby Via Delle Sette Chiese. And further ahead is the mausoleum of Cecilia Metella… Which begs the question. Why are all these graveyards here?
The location is not casual: it follows the ancient custom of burying the deceased outside of the city proper for health reasons.
Other old roads in Rome have their own share of necropolises, most of them lost for good: the Via Ostiense, where the Pyramid of Caius Cestius lies, the Via Flaminia, the Via Cassia and many more!
Please note that only San Sebastiano, San Callisto and Domitilla are open regularly to the public. Other catacombs may do so on select dates.
Catacombe di San Sebastiano – Via Appia Antica, 136
Catacombe di San Callisto – Via Appia Antica, 110/126
Catacombe di Vigna Randanini – Via Appia Pignatelli, 2.
Catacombe di Pretestato – Via Appia Pignatelli, 11.
Catacombe di Domitilla – Via delle Sette Chiese, 282.
Circo di Massenzio + Villa di Massenzio
The imperial palace of Maxentius with the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella in the background, image sourced from Parcoarcheologicoappiaantica.it
Maxentius was the unlucky emperor who was defeated in a bloody battle at the Milvian Bridge by Costantine. We know everything about the latter, and not a lot about the former, who had a palace with its own Circus Maximus-like structure here.
The area can be visited for free, and it includes a tomb called Mausoleum of Romulus, not after the founder of Rome but rather after Maxentius’ own son.
Via Appia Antica, 153.
Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella
The Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, image by Mario Ierardi sourced from Pixabay
Much like the Tomb of emperor Hadrian, which eventually was turned into Castel Sant’Angelo, the grave for this noble woman was a round shaped tower transformed into a fort in the Middle Ages. The Caetani family, who owned the land here, controlled the road from the tower of their castle (by then known as Castrum Caetani) and they even exacted a toll to all passersby!
Today the complex is a beautiful museum.
Opposite the entrance of the mausoleum, don’t miss the Chiesa di Capo di Bove, a deconsecrated, roofless church that is now used for art exhibitions and is a lovely place for picture taking and even for romantic gestures!
Via Appia Antica, 161.
Complesso di Capo di Bove
As you walk down the old Appian Way, you will no doubt notice that many buildings on both sides of the road date back to the Roman era but they are obviously not part of any museum or monument: they’re private property.
This is because in the past centuries people have started building houses and villas using the remains of the Appian Way’s original artifacts.
Thanks to a newfound sensibility towards the protection of the cultural heritage, many of the very rich who used to live on the Appian Way are either coming forward to bequeath their mansions to the state, or are amenable to selling them to a fair price.
This is exactly what happened with this complex, which houses the remains of a Roman spa that was turned into a private residence after the end of World War II.
The house is now used as the offices for the Appian Way Park, with a conference hall, exhibition spaces, a visitor center and a library, named after none other than Antonio Cederna, the man who made the park possible. The whole area can be accessed for free.
Via Appia Antica, 222.
How to get to the Appian Way?
A stretch of the Appian Way, Image By Tkotw12 sourced from Wikimedia Commons
Your walk down this 2,300 year old Roman road can continue past the monuments I just described, towards the less “modern” part of the ancient Appian Way. Just keep into account your level of tiredness!
While reaching Porta di San Sebastiano on foot is lovely and can be done in under 30 minutes if you leave from, say, the Colosseum, the Appian Way is served by a vital, if infrequent bus line, no. 118, with stops at Piazza Venezia by the Ara Coeli or the Circus Maximus.
A bus line no. 218 also leaves from Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano but will only get you as far as the Domine Quo Vadis Church, then will take a detour to the Via Ardeatina.
You can also reach the park by subway, getting off at Arco di Travertino and waiting for the bus 660 (there are several similar options!).
Finally, one of the most common options to visit this 2,300 year old gem is a bycicle tour. Several rental shops can help you cycle down the ancient road, and there’s also a few select companies offering horseriding tours. The latter are usually done on Sundays, when the Appian Way is off limits to cars.
Planning a trip to Paris ? Get ready !
These are Amazon’s best-selling travel products that you may need for coming to Paris.
Bookstore
- The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2023 – Learn more here
- Fodor’s Paris 2024 – Learn more here
Travel Gear
- Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack – Learn more here
- Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage – Learn more here
- Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle – Learn more here
Check Amazon’s best-seller list for the most popular travel accessories. We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.
