Brindisi Colonne Romane (End of Via Appia)

The Colonne Romane stand at the top of a monumental staircase above the inner harbour of Brindisi, in Apulia, southern Italy, marking what tradition holds to be the terminus of the Via Appia, the great Roman road that ran from Rome to the Adriatic port. From Brindisi travellers and legions embarked for Greece and the eastern Mediterranean, making the city one of the most important harbours of the Roman world. For centuries two tall marble columns crowned the steps, serving as a landmark for sailors entering the port. One column collapsed in 1528, and its surviving drums and capital were later given to the city of Lecce, where they were used to raise the column of Sant'Oronzo in the main square. The single column that remains standing in Brindisi rises about 19 metres, built of marble drums and topped by an elaborately carved Corinthian capital decorated with figures of Jupiter, Neptune, Mars and tritons, reflecting the maritime importance of the port. To protect the original capital and weathered shaft from pollution and erosion, the authentic upper elements were removed for conservation and are displayed indoors at the nearby Palazzo Granafei-Nervegna, while a faithful copy now stands on the harbour-front base. The columns have long been linked in popular memory with the poet Virgil, who died in Brindisi in 19 BCE on his return from Greece, and a nearby house is traditionally associated with him. The monument anchors the historic waterfront, reached by climbing the broad staircase from the seafront promenade, and remains freely accessible at all hours. As a symbol of Brindisi's role as the gateway between Rome and the East, the Colonne Romane condense the city's ancient function as the meeting point of the Via Appia and the sea routes of the empire.