I have been to Rome twice in the last year, and both times the highlight of my trip was a visit to the ancient roman road Via Appia, known as the Appian Way. This road was built from 312BC to around 250BC, and went from Rome to Brindisi, 350 miles in the south. Part of it, especially the part emanating from Rome was lined in ancient times with tombs, and, today there are many interesting ruins, some, like the tomb of Cecilia Metella, quite spectacular.
Via Appia takes you into the Roman countryside. It's a country road, very pleasant to walk on, scenic, and a good place for a picnic, or for sketching, especially on Sunday when there is limited automobile traffic. In many places, you are walking on the original flagstones. When you get about 1-1/2 miles from the city, the cars pretty much disappear and you really feel like you are in the country.
Aside from the ruins which are scattered along the road, and in the nearby fields you will find the very early church of Quo Vadis, the church of San Sebastiano and several catacombs. You can get to the beginning of the road by public transportation, or take the metro a few stops south of the train station, Termini, and, then a short bus ride which will leave you on the road about 1-1/2 miles south of the city walls. (consult your tour guide). There is also a minibus that goes there, I believe from the Colisseum. Again, you can find information in a good tour guide, or, from Rome Tourist Information. In early August, I rented a bike with my friend and road out to the road from the center, and, explored about 4 miles of it. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Posts: 89 | Location: NY,NY | Registered: 28 September 2002
Welcome, artslover, and thanks very much for that. I think that many here in the SlowTrav community might be interested in considering exploring part of the Appian way. Our own resident expert on old Roman and Etruscan things is Bill Thayer. Perhaps you've read some of his posts. If you're interested, I'd encourage you to check out his website, Gazetteer of Italy. It might give you more ideas for similar exploration.
David, usually in NYC
Posts: 4890 | Location: New York City | Registered: 15 June 2001
There was quite a pleasant 4 part radio series recently on BBC Radio 3 about the Appian Way. It recorded a journey made by Dennis Marks down the Appian Way reflecting, as he went, on ancient history and compared it with the current social life of the areas touched by the road.
Yup, warmly recommend the Appia for a day's outing. So few people do it, more's the pity.... The other major road out of the City, unfortunately, does not get attractive until many miles out; the Flaminia has lacked the protection the Appia has received, even if that protection has really been very minimal, mostly talk. The walker should not ooh-and-aah too much at the specific details of the monuments along the Appia, though. In recent years, after a few thefts of reliefs from the tombs, the rest of them have been removed to relative safety in museums, replaced in situ by modern copies.
Anyhow, even on a lovely sunny midseason day, if you walk the Appia you will meet almost no one. The picnic is a very good idea; and water is an even better one.
The Appian Way. A long time between mentions and a very long road in Italy. It hugs the coast for quite some distance passing through or alongside many of the Mediterranean's beautiful beaches, pretty townships and a host of historical sites. Minturno is another area that celebrates the Via Appia. The archeological dig features a piece of this famous road while the township is some distance away and up a mountain. I keep hoping more people will travel the area, to see and enjoy what I have seen, but it is not as popular as other places I guess.
Carole
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
<Carole R>
Posted
PS. Beebee. Thank you so much for this link.
Carole
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
We walked part of the Via Appia in Rome on our trip a year ago. In the DK Eyewitness Rome guide it is one of their "Six Guided Walks" - a 90 minute walk along the Via Appia Antica. We took a taxi to the Tomb of Cecilia Metalla and walked from there.
Unfortunately the book does not have a recommendation for what to do at the end of the walk. We reached the Via di Tor Carbone, a busy cross street. The Via Appia went on. We couldn't find a bus stop, so we used our cell phone and called a taxi.
The walk was great. Once or twice local cars went by, but mostly it was just us walking along the ancient stones. The tombs along the side were mostly ruins, but you could get a sense of what it was at one time.
Another Roman Road we walked on during that trip was in Carsulae in southern Umbria (south of Todi). It is an ancient Roman town with a few building remains and a long stretch of road.
You can walk a long way and still get a bus home - take one of the major roads towards the left and you meet the unpleasant via Appia Nuova, where you can get buses back towards central Rome (change to the Metro at Colli Albani).
A word of caution: the Appian Way is lovely but be wary in late afternoon/evening. Along it there are exclusive homes and hotels but it is also a red light zone. Towards dusk prostitutes appear alongside the road, and their prospective clients cruise up and down. Very unpleasant for any women who are tempted into wandering for too long on the lonelier stretches.
Posts: 51 | Location: Rome | Registered: 24 April 2002
Thank you for all of that TMI. I don't think that this little old lady would/could be mistaken for a 'goodtime gal' by any stretch of the imagination, but the blokes might have to watch out to ensure that I don't mother them to death.........especially if they're cute.
Carole
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
<Carole R>
Posted
Maybe the best thing to do when I go to walk the Rome end of the Via Appia, would be to have a couple of supports. One, a reliable mobile and the right numbers to ring........and two, and probably more importantly, a companion or two or three.........maybe enough for a STGTG? Now, don't knock me over in the rush.
Carole
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Long run: yes, quite good, provided you did not start from the Porta Appia, but rather from the general vicinity of the church of Domine Quo Vadis? -- because of the traffic, most of which turns off at the intersection there. Also it's probably not good at rush hour, since the road is still a way into and out of town; but that, I don't know for a first-hand fact.
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