Appian Way

Appius Claudius Caecus began the road in 312 BC and it eventually ran to Brindisi, the main route to Greece and the east. Roman law forbade burial inside the city, so the roadside filled with tombs, and long stretches still carry them: family monuments, columbaria and the drum tomb of Caecilia Metella. Sections of the original basalt paving survive with cart ruts worn into them. The six thousand survivors of Spartacus's revolt were crucified along this road in 71 BC. On Sundays the inner section closes to traffic and it becomes a walking and cycling route under umbrella pines.

History

The censor Appius Claudius Caecus began and completed the first section in 312 BC as a military road south from Rome, the first long Roman road built to move troops beyond the region of the city; Statius later called it the queen of the long roads. It was built in layers - a levelled bed, small stones and mortar, gravel, then tightly fitted stone paving, cambered and ditched - and is believed to be the first Roman road to use lime cement; a causeway of about 31 kilometres carried it across the Pontine Marshes, where a parallel canal was dug in 162 BC, and it was later extended to Brindisi. In July 2024 the Appian Way was inscribed on the World Heritage List (Wikipedia, Appian Way).

The main sights

• The original paving - basalt blocks with cart ruts worn into them.
• The roadside tombs - family monuments and columbaria along the verges.
• Caecilia Metella - a large drum tomb turned medieval fortress.
• The Sunday closure - the road given over to walkers and cyclists.

When to go

April to June and September to October, and specifically a Sunday, when the inner section closes to cars. Summer is hot with little shade on the open stretches.

Practical notes

On weekdays traffic uses the narrow road with no pavement, which makes walking unpleasant and unsafe. The best-preserved stretches are several kilometres out. Bicycle hire is the practical approach.

Nearby

The Catacombs of San Callisto are on the road; central Rome lies north.

Key facts