Appian Way, Queen of Roads

• PHOTOS

The Via Appia is the oldest and most prestigious of Roman roads, dating back to the fourth century BC. The regina viarum-queen of all roads-was named after the Roman censor Appius Claudius, who completed its first stretch toward Campagna. The Via Appia became a gateway to Italy, and eventually the entire Greek world and beyond. The Appian Way was not simply one of the main arteries of Italy, but an intrinsic part of the urban development of the city of Rome itself. This itinerary, normally led by an archaeologist, classicist, art historian, or architectural historian, discusses the importance of the Appian Way to ancient Rome and the meaning and function of the structures along its path.

We begin at the Baths of Caracalla, constructed along a stretch of the Appian Way in 221 AD. Besides its architectural splendor, this complex also gives us a chance to discuss the use of baths as a social and political tool for the Emperor. We then take a private car, which transports us to the A

The Via Appia is the oldest and most prestigious of Roman roads, dating back to the fourth century BC. The regina viarum-queen of all roads-was named after the Roman censor Appius Claudius, who completed its first stretch toward Campagna. The Via Appia became a gateway to Italy, and eventually the entire Greek world and beyond. The Appian Way was not simply one of the main arteries of Italy, but an intrinsic part of the urban development of the city of Rome itself. This itinerary, normally led by an archaeologist, classicist, art historian, or architectural historian, discusses the importance of the Appian Way to ancient Rome and the meaning and function of the structures along its path.

We begin at the Baths of Caracalla, constructed along a stretch of the Appian Way in 221 AD. Besides its architectural splendor, this complex also gives us a chance to discuss the use of baths as a social and political tool for the Emperor. We then take a private car, which transports us to the Appian Way, where we disembark and stroll for the remainder of the itinerary.

The building of temples, altars, arches, funerary tombs, and other public structures along the sides of the road contributed in a clear manner to the monumental transformation of the Via Appia. Becoming more opulent as time passed, they give us a good sense of how the Roman elite expressed their social and political status. The exact monuments on the Via Appia visited can vary, but we normally stop at the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, built for the daughter of a wealthy Roman patrician, and the Circus of Maxentius, which once contained the obelisk now in Piazza Navona. The itinerary reinforces the knowledge that these monuments, located on the outskirts of Rome, were a constant reminder to travellers approaching and leaving the city of which citizens mattered inside its walls. The periphery of the Via Appia was a mirror of the center of Rome.

Note: This itinerary is not designed as an excursion to the catacombs found on the Appian Way. Though it is possible they may be included, this is not always the case.