Have you done it ... Is it possible ...
Anybody walked all the way around the Aurelian Wall, in Rome?

How many days would it take?
How far would you walk each day?
Is it even feasible?
Or too agresive?

A thought for this next fall. Just wondering what you think.

Thanks,
Wendy and Rob

Edited to say: I did do a "find", but didn't really find a current/what I was looking for answer

The first thoughts that spring to mind are that in vast stretches the wall

a) is buried under current structures, streets, etc.
b) no longer exists in any form
c) is being used as part of existing structures.
d) is in some seriously nasty traffic circles, situations, etc where I wouldn't drive a hummer much less walk.
e) the wall never completely circled the city so there are stretches where it never existed. The steep portions didn't have walls.

So there would be interruptions.

From the Porta Cornelia (ancient name) which is now by the Ponte San Angelo on the Rome side of the river proceeding clockwise from the castel san angelo you would go along the lungo tevere. If there is wall there...you would go up to the Porta Flaminia - I know there is almost no wall left there - then to the Porta Pensiana, porta salaria, porta nomentana, and then you have the ruins of praetorian camp (basically a fortress) then to the porta tiburtina. From there to the Porta Praenestina then it heads over in a curved line to the amphitheatrum castrense to the porta assinaria to porta metrovia around the baths of caracalla to the porta latina, porta appia and then that heads west to a break in the wall to the porta ardeatina to the porta ostiensis and then southwest to the tiber and northwest along the tiber to the porta portuensis which is across the tiber. Now you are about 1/3 of the way around. BTW these are the ancient names. Many of these "portas" no longer exist or the names have been changed. Some are very much still alive but in modern spelling.

Are you getting an idea here? The best book for determining your itinerary would be "Rome and Environs" by Filippo Coarelli.

There is a map which shows the walls along with current city streets and where possible the ancient city streets names. The map is Pianta Topografica A Colori De Roma Antica avaiable the Libreria Archeologica (the archeological bookstore near San Giovani in Laterano) 18 euro. BTW the map is indexed by ancient street names which is important (not to mention the 800 ruin names).

The wall was just under 19 kilometers in ancinet times. Nowadays best guess is it would be close to double that amount because stuff has been built over that you would have to go around, re-orient and proceed. You will probably be doubling back almost as much as you would be proceeding.

BTW I need to source this information to DH Bonzerdad.

Sounds like an interesting project but I think you would probably find yourself vastly frustrated. Filippo Coarelli has these wonderful itineraries for various ruins and does not have one for the walls. Whether that is because it isn't possible or he determined it wasn't "worth it" I could not say.

Several times, we have walked along the wall up to the Janiculum; from the Vatican, past the hospital (can't think of the name), up along the outside of the wall, and then into the park, exiting down a staircase below the Spanish church with the tempietto. It's a quiet walk along the wall, and you're rewarded at the end with the view over Rome. This is the Aurelian Wall, is it not? It seems to be a popular walk with Romans, too.

The is a Museum of the Wall at Porta sebastiano near the Appian Way.
http://www.slowphotos.com/phot...photo=43872&cat=4054
I went to it in Feb 2005. Supposedly you can walk onto a section of the Wall there. It was drizzling that day and they wouldn let us out on it.

I was there several years before Pat and had the exact same experience; rainy day, no walk on the wall.

The museum is called Museo delle Mura and there's a fair amount of information in English on their web site: Museo delle Mura.

We usually rent the same apartment at Porta Metronia. The Aurelian Wall (on the inside) is one section of the villa's garden walls. On the outside of the wall, we have walked to Via Appia.

Cameron

Thank you all.

Yes, Pat we were in that museum, as well, a couple of years ago. And, also went into the wall.

Rob said this morning I might have worded my post not quite right, but ....

We have walked near and around some parts you mentioned Joseph - Janiculum, Tempietto, Vatican, up at the top of the Veneto and around that area ...

We know there are apartments in the wall at various stages and almost got an invite into one up at the top of the Veneto.

Our friends who live in Rome went out a new-to-us gate this past Oct. and we saw a whole new section, which is one of the reasons I was wondering if we wanted to walk the path around the wall.

Rob has a wonderful book on "The Walls of Rome" by Nic Fields and illustrated by Peter Dennis - he picked it up at Border's. ISBN#978-1-84603-198-4/ www.ospreypublishing.com which will/would be a good guide. But I will also look for "Rome and Environs". Thank you for the suggestion.

Has anyone been to The Castra Praetoria? I know it is ruins, but wondering.

With 14 trips to Rome since '97, most 10 nights long, we are not new to Rome, but there is always something new/old to seek out and find.

Thank you everyone for your input, anything else would also be appreciated. W.

Wendy, we have made many trips to Rome as well, several for two weeks or more. The more time you spend, the more you love it. You can never have enough time, or see it all. Thanks for the heads up on the books.

quote:

The more time you spend, the more you love it. You can never have enough time, or see it all.

Not in this lifetime, or the next ...

It can be done. I haven't done it myself, but I know various people that have. They've moved quickly and it's taken them a whole day, i.e. 8-10 hours.

It's certainly an interesting walk in that you see a great deal of the city and all its diverse parts.

You might also consider the traditional pilgrimage walk that visits the 7 pilgrimage basilicas: San Sebastiano, San Paolo fuori le Mura, San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, and San Pietro.

Saint Philip Neri started leading young men on this walk in the late 16th century to keep them out of mischief during Carnivale season. Having done this walk myself - it took a full day, about 8 hours - I must say that the tactic probably worked!

Thanks Urbanicon, I don't think we would do the entire circumference in one go, but take it in a couple of segments. We have done all but one of the churches you mentioned and I think it will go on our 'to see' list, for this next trip - San Paolo fuori le Mura.

There is so much to see, do and experience. The options are limitless. Thanks for the imformation and suggestions everyone. W.

Just to clear up a bit of confusion...
There is no Aurelian wall on the right bank (west side) of the river. Those walls are Papal walls, built millennia after the Aurelian. You can get a good introduction to "the walls" at Thomas K. Wukitsch's site and at the Nolli map site.

Another interesting "wall adventure" is to keep an eye out for bits of the "Servian" or more properly Republican Walls. The best page on those is Pollett's, if it's available. I have mapped all the extant bits exactly and could post a Google map if anyone is interested. The Republican bits are so scattered they don't make a good tour, per se, but are something you should watch for when finding other stuff.