Appian Way & Catacombs (Via Appia Antica)

The Via Appia Antica, nicknamed the 'Regina Viarum' or Queen of Roads, was begun in 312 BC by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus as ancient Rome's first great paved highway, eventually stretching over 500 kilometres southeast to Brindisi on the Adriatic coast. The stretch nearest the city, now protected within the Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica, preserves long sections of the original massive basalt paving stones, flanked by umbrella pines, cypress avenues, ruined Roman tombs, aqueduct arches and the crumbling brick shell of the circular tomb of Cecilia Metella. Because Roman law forbade burial within the city walls, wealthy families lined the road with elaborate funerary monuments, giving the route an open-air museum quality that survives remarkably intact in its outer stretches. Beneath the same ground lies a different kind of burial: a network of early Christian catacombs, underground galleries cut into the soft volcanic tufa where the dead were laid in niches across several levels. The two most visited, the Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano, can only be explored on guided tours, typically 30 to 45 minutes long and offered in several languages, leading visitors through cool tunnels past faded frescoes and the former crypt of several early popes. A satisfying visit combining a walk or bike ride along the ancient road with one catacombs tour takes two to four hours. The park authority closes much of the road to private cars on Sundays and holidays, transforming it into a wonderfully peaceful place to walk or cycle among the ruins; bikes can be rented near the main information point. The site is reached from central Rome by bus from the Circo Massimo or San Giovanni metro stops. Comfortable shoes are essential on the ancient, uneven paving.