The Appian Way When the Pine Trees Line the Empire

The Via Appia Antica — the Appian Way — was built in 312 BC to connect Rome to Brindisi, and it is the oldest and most famous road in the Western world. Today the first ten miles are a regional park, and walking or cycling the ancient basalt paving stones beneath the umbrella pines that line the road is the closest you will come to physically touching the Roman Empire.

The road passes catacombs, crumbling tombs, and the ruins of imperial villas. The Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano are accessible by guided tour — underground burial chambers decorated with early Christian frescoes in tunnels that extend for miles. The Villa of the Quintilii — a ruined imperial estate so large that Emperor Commodus murdered its owners to seize it — sits three miles down the road in a state of magnificent decay.

Practical notes: Rent a bike at the park entrance near the Baths of Caracalla. Sundays are best — the road is closed to cars and the cyclists own the ancient pavement. Bring water and a picnic; there are few services once you leave the first mile.