Appian Way

Welcome to the Via Appia Antica, the legendary Appian Way. You are standing at the absolute beginning of what was once the most important, advanced, and celebrated highway in the entire ancient world. …

Our journey physically begins as we pass through the monumental Porta San Sebastiano, the grandest and best-preserved gate of the Aurelian Walls. These massive defensive fortifications were constructed around two hundred and…

A short walk down the narrow, high-walled section of the road brings us to a small, relatively unassuming church sitting at a slight fork. This is the Church of Santa Maria in Palmis, far better known to the world by its…

As we progress down the Appian Way, we are quite literally walking over a massive, hidden city of the dead. Because Roman law strictly prohibited burials within the city walls for reasons of hygiene and religious purity, the land…

Continuing our journey, the landscape on our left suddenly gives way to the sprawling, monumental ruins of an imperial estate. We have arrived at the Villa of Maxentius. …

Dominating the horizon at the highest point of this section of the Appian Way is a structure of staggering proportions. This is the Tomb of Caecilia Metella, arguably the most iconic and recognizable monument on the entire…

As we reach the fifth mile marker of the Appian Way, the density of the tombs begins to thin, opening up to sweeping, romantic vistas of the Roman Campagna. It is here that we encounter the sprawling ruins of the Villa of the…

As our journey down the ancient paving stones of the Appian Way concludes, it is impossible not to feel deeply humbled by the sheer weight of history beneath our feet. We have walked past the monuments of wealthy aristocrats, the…