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Via Appia Antica: a dive in the past

Posted on 17 March 2010

One of the oldest consular roads, Via Appia Antica. While travelling on this road, you will be taken into an historical journey of Ancient Rome. As we know, Ancient Romans, used to consolidate their predominancy by building straight and regular roads which communicate with any part of their possessions without problems. Many Consular roads are starting from Rome and today we will describe the most ancient road existing, Via Appia Antica. This road, during holidays, it’s closed to traffic and may be visited by tourists eager to learn more about the past in Rome. The Appia Antica, as mentioned, is one of the most ancient consular roads which originally joined Rome to Capua, only to be later extended up to Brindisi. The road still shows all the charm and the value it once had, you can see the width that allowed the comfort of the carriages and chariots to pass in both directions of traffic and sidewalks on both sides that would allow pedestrian traffic.
The road has great historical significance in both urban and suburban strokes. Before leaving Rome, this roads passes through the Terme di Caracalla and the Ancient Entrance Door of the city (Porta) with the same name and a little bit further, away from the city, between the rows of cypress trees which adorne the sides of the road, you can see several funerary monuments. Among these, there is the Chiesa Del Domine Quo Vadis and near the confluence with Via Ardeatina the famous (and visitable) Catacombs of San Callisto. Continuing leaving the city you meet the Basilica of San Sebastian (worth a visit especially for its catacombs), named like this because the saint’s body was placed here after Diocletian’s persecution. After a rather barren tract, where, however, you can recognize the place where, according to legend, Oriazi and Curiazi were buried after their battle, you can see Villa dei Quintili. The Via Appia Antica is therefore an amazing journey that should not be underestimated for its importance for the history of the city, a route that if you have enough time it’s absolutely worth visiting.