Roman Roads Roman Roads Via Aemilia - Via Flaminia - Via Appia photographs Roman Roads in general Italy's largest monuments Censors Appius Claudius Caecus and Gaius Flaminius and consul Aemilius Lepidus couldn't imagine that the roads they built in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. would still be in service more than 2200 years later. They're now officially called the SS7, SS3 and SS9, but to everyone they're still the good old Appia, Flaminia and Emilia... The Via Appia (Appian Way) was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars. "Appia teritur regina longarum viarum" (the Appian way is commonly said to be the queen of the long roads).

The Via Flaminia lead from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Rimini on the Adriatic coast of the Sea, being the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley. It was constructed by Gaius Flaminius during his censorship (220 BC). Frequent improvements were made to it during the imperial period. Augustus, when he instituted a general restoration of the roads of Italy, reserved the Flaminia for himself, and rebuilt many bridges. The original Via Aemilia (Emilia) ran from Rimini (Ariminum), where it started off where Via Flaminia ended, to Piacenza (Placentia). Later on it continued to Milan. The Via Aemilia was the first consular road that interconnected Roman colonies in Italy without touching Rome, while all other roads such as the Via Flaminia or the Via Appia originated in the capital. all photos all screenings all texts other posts ABOUT THIS PROJECT As a tribute to these roads, I started to document the current Roman Roads in Italy. Transport, lodging, people, towns and landscapes are still key elements of these monumental landmarks - their actual use never changed.

I seldomly left the roads, the distance between the route and myself was never more than 10 metres. Only very occasionally, when events in history allowed for it, the distance was larger. Also, to be precise, I documented the route, which is not necessarily identical to the present-day road. 1000+ images about Via Appia Antica on Pinterest | Rome italy, Villas and Roman roads Did you know there is a road in Rome called Via Appia, which was built in 312bc and is still in use today? See More Roman Roads: Via Appia: Via Giulio Cesare Falco (Capua, 2010) Roman Roads in general Italy's largest monuments Censors Appius Claudius Caecus and Gaius Flaminius and consul Aemilius Lepidus couldn't imagine that the roads they built in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. would still be in service more than 2200 years later. They're now officially called the SS7, SS3 and SS9, but to everyone they're still the good old Appia, Flaminia and Emilia...

The Via Appia (Appian Way) was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars. "Appia teritur regina longarum viarum" (the Appian way is commonly said to be the queen of the long roads). The Via Flaminia lead from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Rimini on the Adriatic coast of the Sea, being the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley. It was constructed by Gaius Flaminius during his censorship (220 BC). Frequent improvements were made to it during the imperial period. Augustus, when he instituted a general restoration of the roads of Italy, reserved the Flaminia for himself, and rebuilt many bridges.

The original Via Aemilia (Emilia) ran from Rimini (Ariminum), where it started off where Via Flaminia ended, to Piacenza (Placentia). Later on it continued to Milan. The Via Aemilia was the first consular road that interconnected Roman colonies in Italy without touching Rome, while all other roads such as the Via Flaminia or the Via Appia originated in the capital. all photos all screenings all texts other posts ABOUT THIS PROJECT As a tribute to these roads, I started to document the current Roman Roads in Italy. Transport, lodging, people, towns and landscapes are still key elements of these monumental landmarks - their actual use never changed. I seldomly left the roads, the distance between the route and myself was never more than 10 metres. Only very occasionally, when events in history allowed for it, the distance was larger. Also, to be precise, I documented the route, which is not necessarily identical to the present-day road.

Roman Roads: Via Appia: Building pause (Sparanise, 2010) Roman Roads in general Italy's largest monuments Censors Appius Claudius Caecus and Gaius Flaminius and consul Aemilius Lepidus couldn't imagine that the roads they built in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. would still be in service more than 2200 years later. They're now officially called the SS7, SS3 and SS9, but to everyone they're still the good old Appia, Flaminia and Emilia... The Via Appia (Appian Way) was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars. "Appia teritur regina longarum viarum" (the Appian way is commonly said to be the queen of the long roads).

The Via Flaminia lead from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Rimini on the Adriatic coast of the Sea, being the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley. It was constructed by Gaius Flaminius during his censorship (220 BC). Frequent improvements were made to it during the imperial period. Augustus, when he instituted a general restoration of the roads of Italy, reserved the Flaminia for himself, and rebuilt many bridges. The original Via Aemilia (Emilia) ran from Rimini (Ariminum), where it started off where Via Flaminia ended, to Piacenza (Placentia). Later on it continued to Milan. The Via Aemilia was the first consular road that interconnected Roman colonies in Italy without touching Rome, while all other roads such as the Via Flaminia or the Via Appia originated in the capital. all photos all screenings all texts other posts ABOUT THIS PROJECT As a tribute to these roads, I started to document the current Roman Roads in Italy. Transport, lodging, people, towns and landscapes are still key elements of these monumental landmarks - their actual use never changed.

I seldomly left the roads, the distance between the route and myself was never more than 10 metres. Only very occasionally, when events in history allowed for it, the distance was larger. Also, to be precise, I documented the route, which is not necessarily identical to the present-day road. Roman Roads: Roman Roads in general Roman Roads in general Roman Roads in general Italy's largest monuments Censors Appius Claudius Caecus and Gaius Flaminius and consul Aemilius Lepidus couldn't imagine that the roads they built in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. would still be in service more than 2200 years later. They're now officially called the SS7, SS3 and SS9, but to everyone they're still the good old Appia, Flaminia and Emilia... The Via Appia (Appian Way) was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars.

"Appia teritur regina longarum viarum" (the Appian way is commonly said to be the queen of the long roads). The Via Flaminia lead from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Rimini on the Adriatic coast of the Sea, being the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley. It was constructed by Gaius Flaminius during his censorship (220 BC). Frequent improvements were made to it during the imperial period. Augustus, when he instituted a general restoration of the roads of Italy, reserved the Flaminia for himself, and rebuilt many bridges. The original Via Aemilia (Emilia) ran from Rimini (Ariminum), where it started off where Via Flaminia ended, to Piacenza (Placentia). Later on it continued to Milan. The Via Aemilia was the first consular road that interconnected Roman colonies in Italy without touching Rome, while all other roads such as the Via Flaminia or the Via Appia originated in the capital.

all photos all screenings all texts other posts ABOUT THIS PROJECT As a tribute to these roads, I started to document the current Roman Roads in Italy. Transport, lodging, people, towns and landscapes are still key elements of these monumental landmarks - their actual use never changed. I seldomly left the roads, the distance between the route and myself was never more than 10 metres. Only very occasionally, when events in history allowed for it, the distance was larger. Also, to be precise, I documented the route, which is not necessarily identical to the present-day road. Appian Way, Rome - Appian Way Appian Way history Of all the roads that led to Rome, the Appian Way was the most famous and the most strategically important road in ancient Rome. It eventually stretched all the way from Rome to the seaport of Brindisi in southeast Italy, through which trade with the East was funneled. The main purpose of the road was however not to transport goods, but to allow for quick troop movement. The Appian Way was the first road built specifically for troop transportation. Masters of the road During this era, the Romans were the masters of road construction and had some of the very finest engineers in the world.

All their roads were connected to Rome, where the Master Itinerarium was located. This was a list of all the destinations along each road all the way to the border of their empire, hence the expression - "All roads lead to Rome.” The importance of roads The road network was an important factor in Roman warfare. The Roman army’s success was partly due to their smart use of strategically placed forts. The forts allowed the army to prepare for battle and quickly refresh and re-equip afterwards. However, the bases needed to be connected by quality roads for easy access and supply from Rome. In the First Samnite War in 343 BC, the Romans were forced to a ceasefire, as they could neither support nor resupply their troops quickly enough. During the Second Samnite War, which followed shortly after the first, the Romans suffered another humiliating loss. This time, a Roman army became trapped in the mountains without supplies. The army quickly became surrounded by the enemy and the Senate was forced to negotiate for their release. After this, the Romans had had enough. Via Appia The solution became the great road known as the Appian Way.

Its Latin name, “Via Appia” derives from the man who was responsible for its construction; Appius Claudius Caecus. He became a Roman censor in year 312 BC and both started and finished major parts of the new road the very same year. Construction The construction process was very advanced. Prior to the construction of the road itself, bridges across rivers were built, heights were flattened and valleys filled - all to make the road as straight at possible. The road was built using layers of cemented stone together with gravel and lime cement. The road also had drainage ditches to prevent the road from being flooded. The surface was said to have been so smooth that you could not distinguish the joints in the road. The surface of today’s road is however very rough, as much of the cement has eroded. Served its purpose The finished road achieved its purpose, as the Romans later defeated the Samnites. The main factor was this great road, which allowed them to concentrate their forces and keep them well supplied. Over the following years, the road was expanded southwards and soon reached Italy’s southeast coast. With this, the impressive 560 kilometers long road we know today stood completed. Why visit the Appian Way ?

Several interesting sites are located along the Appian Way - the majority close to Rome. One of the first sites from Rome is Church of Domine Quo Vadis. According to Christian tradition, this church was the place where Peter encountered the vision of Christ, which caused him to go back to the city to face subsequent martyrdom. The Catacombs There are also entrances to Rome’s many catacombs along the road. The two most prominent ones are the Catacombs of San Sebastiano and the Catacombs of San Callisto. These catacombs were where early Christians buried their dead and held their meetings during the worst times of persecution. They stretch many miles and are definitely worth a visit for anyone not suffering from claustrophobia. Ancient sites Other major sites close to Rome are the Circus of Maxentius and Tomb of Cecilia Metella. All these sites are located just a few miles from the road’s starting point. There are also signs along the road, so they are quite easy to find. For the ambitious ones However, for the most atmospheric stretch of the walk, continue onwards for an extra couple of miles. As the road leads on, travelers along the Appian Way will find themselves more and more on the countryside.

After the first few miles, one can find several marble ruins, reliefs and broken statues. The ancient paving stones are also more visible long this part of the road. A longer walk along the Appian Way is recommended for anyone who has the will and the stamina to do it. Roman Roads: Via Appia Roman Roads Via Aemilia - Via Flaminia - Via Appia photographs Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recorded by Statius: Appia teritur regina longarum viarum "the Appian way is commonly said to be the queen of the long roads" The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars. Origins The need for roads The Roman army depended for its success on the use of bases in which to prepare for retreat[citation needed] and to refresh and re-equip afterwards.

Bases allowed the Romans to keep a large number of soldiers in the field waiting for the opportunity to strike. However, the bases needed to be connected by good roads for easy access and supply from Rome. The Appian Way was used as a main route for military supplies since its construction for that purpose in the mid-4th century BC. The Appian Way was the first long road built specifically to transport troops outside the smaller region of greater Rome (this was essential to the Romans). The few roads outside the early city were Etruscan and went mainly to Etruria. By the late Republic, the Romans had expanded over most of Italy and were masters of road construction. Their roads began at Rome, where the master itinerarium, or list of destinations along the roads, was located, and extended to the borders of their domain - hence the expression, "All roads lead to Rome." The Samnite Wars Rome had an affinity for the people of Campania, who, like themselves, traced their backgrounds to the Etruscans. The Samnite Wars were instigated by the Samnites when Rome attempted to ally itself with the city of Capua in Campania.

The Italic speakers in Latium had long ago been subdued and incorporated into the Roman state. They were responsible for changing Rome from a primarily Etruscan to a primarily Italic state. Dense populations of sovereign Samnites remained in the mountains north of Capua, which is just north of the Greek city of Neapolis. Around 343 BC, Rome and Capua attempted to form an alliance, a first step toward a closer unity. The Samnites reacted with military force. Between Capua and Rome lay the Pontine Marshes (Pomptinae paludes), a swamp infested with malaria. A tortuous coastal road wound between Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber and Neapolis. The via Latina followed its ancient and scarcely more accessible path along the foothills of Monti Laziali and Monti Lepini, which are visible towering over the former marsh. In the First Samnite War (343 BC-341 BC) the Romans found they could not support or resupply troops in the field against the Samnites across the marsh. A revolt of the Latin League drained their resources further. They gave up the attempted alliance and settled with Samnium.

Colonization to the southeast The Romans were only biding their time while they looked for a solution. The first answer was the colonia, a "cultivation" of settlers from Rome, who would maintain a permanent base of operations. The Second Samnite War (327 BC-304 BC) erupted when Rome attempted to place a colony at Cales in 334 BC and again at Fregellae in 328 on the other side of the marshes. The Samnites, now a major power after defeating the Greeks of Tarentum, occupied Neapolis to try and ensure its loyalty. The Neapolitans appealed to Rome, which sent an army and expelled the Samnites from Neapolis. Colonies alone apparently were not the answer. In 321 BC, a Roman army was trapped in the mountain passes north of Capua, at Caudium. At the Battle of the Caudine Forks they were kept penned in without supplies, especially water, until the Senate bought their release in exchange for a half-year treaty[citation needed] the Romans considered humiliating, by which they provided hostages and gave up the colonies.

Rome used the time to defeat the Italic tribes around Samnium. In 316 BC, at the end of the treaty, Samnium again opened hostilities against Rome, which was defeated at the Battle of Lautulae in 315 BC. By 312 BC, the situation was bleak for Rome and became bleaker when, in 311 BC, the Etruscans in Etruria and Campania defected to the Samnites. Appius Claudius' beginning of the works In 312 BC, Appius Claudius Caecus became censor at Rome. He was of the gens Claudia, who were patricians descended from the Sabines taken into the early Roman state. He had been given the name of the founding ancestor of the gens. He was a populist, i.e., an advocate of the common people. A man of inner perspicacity, in the years of success he was said to have lost his outer vision and thus acquired the name caecus, "blind". Without waiting to be told what to do by the Senate, Appius Claudius began bold public works to address the supply problem.

An aqueduct (the Aqua Appia) secured the water supply of the city of Rome. By far the best known project was the road, which ran across the Pontine Marshes to the coast northwest of Naples, where it turned north to Capua. On it, any number of fresh troops could be sped to the theatre of operations, and supplies could be moved en masse to Roman bases without hindrance by either enemy or terrain. It is no surprise that, after his term as censor, Appius Claudius became consul twice, subsequently held other offices, and was a respected consultant to the state even during his later years. The success of the road The road achieved its purpose. The outcome of the Second Samnite War was at last favorable to Rome. In a series of blows the Romans reversed their fortunes, bringing Etruria to the table in 311 BC, the very year of their revolt, and Samnium in 304. The road was the main factor that allowed them to concentrate their forces sufficiently rapidly and keep them adequately supplied to become a formidable opponent. Construction of the road The main part of the Appian Way was started and finished in 312 BC.

The road began as a leveled dirt road upon which small stones and mortar were laid. Gravel was laid upon this, which was finally topped with tight fitting, interlocking stones to provide a flat surface. Some of the stones were said to fit so well that you could not slide a knife into the cracks.The road was crested in the middle (for water runoff) and had ditches on either side of the road which were protected by retaining walls. Between Rome and Lake Albano The Circus of Maxentius. The road began in the Forum Romanum, passed through the Servian Wall at the porta Capena, went through a cutting in the clivus Martis, and left the city. For this stretch of the road, the builders used the via Latina. The building of the Aurelian Wall centuries later required the placing of another gate, the Porta Appia. Outside of Rome the new via Appia went through well-to-do suburbs along the via Norba, the ancient track to the Alban hills, where Norba was situated. The road at the time was a via glarea, a gravel road.

The Romans built a high-quality road, with layers of cemented stone over a layer of small stones, crowned, drainage ditches on either side, low retaining walls on sunken portions, and dirt pathways for sidewalks. The via Appia is believed to have been the first Roman road to feature the use of lime cement. The materials were volcanic rock. The surface was said to have been so smooth that you could not distinguish the joints. The Roman section still exists and is lined with monuments of all periods, although the cement has eroded out of the joints, leaving a very rough surface. Across the marsh The road concedes nothing to the Alban hills, but goes straight through them over cuts and fills. The gradients are steep. Then it enters the former Pomptine Marshes. A stone causeway of about 19 miles led across stagnant and foul-smelling pools blocked from the sea by sand dunes. Appius Claudius planned to drain the marsh, taking up earlier attempts, but he failed. The causeway and its bridges subsequently needed constant repair. No one enjoyed crossing the marsh.

In 162 BC, Marcus Cornelius Cathegus had a canal constructed along the road to relieve the traffic and provide an alternative when the road was being repaired. Romans preferred using the canal. Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella and the castrum Caetani. Along the coast The via Appia picked up the coastal road at Tarracina. However, the Romans straightened it somewhat with cuttings, which form cliffs today. From there the road swerved north to Capua, where, for the time being, it ended. Caudine Forks was not far to the north. The itinerary was Aricia (Ariccia), Tres Tabernae, Forum Appii, Tarracina (Terracina), Fundi (Fondi), Formiae (Formia), Minturnae (Minturno), Sinuessa (Mondragone), Casilinum and Capua, but some of these were colonies added after the Samnite Wars. The distance was 132 miles. The original road had no milestones, as they were not yet in use. A few survive from later times, including a first milestone near the porta Appia.

Extension to Beneventum The Third Samnite War (298 BC-290 BC) is perhaps misnamed. It was an all-out attempt by all the neighbors of Rome: Italics, Etruscans and Gauls, to check the power of Rome. The Samnites were the leading people of the conspiracy. Rome dealt the northerners a crushing blow at the Battle of Sentinum in Umbria in 295 BC. The Samnites fought on alone. Rome now placed 13 colonies in Campania and Samnium. It must have been during this time that they extended the via Appia 35 miles beyond Capua past the Caudine forks to a place the Samnites called Maloenton, “passage of the flocks.” The itinerary added Calatia, Caudium and Beneventum (not yet called that). Here also ended the via Latina. Extension to Apulia and Calabria By 290 BC, all was over for the sovereignty of the Samnites. The heel of Italy lay open to the Romans.

The dates are somewhat uncertain and there is considerable variation in the sources, but during the Third Samnite War the Romans seem to have extended the road to Venusia, where they placed a colony of 20,000 men. After that they were at Tarentum. Roman expansion alarmed Tarentum, the leading city of the Greek presence (Magna Graecia) in southern Italy. They hired the mercenary king King Pyrrhus of Epirus in neighboring Greece to fight the Romans on their behalf. In 280 BC the Romans suffered a defeat at the hands of Pyrrhus at the Battle of Heraclea on the coast west of Tarentum. The battle was costly for both sides, prompting Pyrrhus to remark "One more such victory and I am lost." Making the best of it, the Roman army turned on Greek Rhegium and effected a massacre of Pyrrhian partisans there. Rather than pursue them, Pyrrhus went straight for Rome along the via Appia and then the via Latina. He knew that if he continued on the via Appia he could be trapped in the marsh.

Wary of such entrapment on the via Latina also, he withdrew without fighting after encountering opposition at Anagni. Wintering in Campania, he withdrew to Apulia in 279 BC, where, pursued by the Romans, he won a second costly victory at the Battle of Asculum. Withdrawing from Apulia for a Sicilian interlude, he returned to Apulia in 275 and started for Campania up the nice Roman road. Supplied by that same road, the Romans successfully defended the region against Pyrrhus, crushing his army in a two-day fight at the Battle of Beneventum in 275 BC. The Romans renamed the town from "Maleventum" (ill wind) to Beneventum (beneficial wind) as a result. Pyrrhus withdrew to Greece, where he died in a street fight in Argos in 272 BC. Tarentum fell to the Romans that same year, who proceeded to consolidated their rule over all of Italy.[3] The Romans pushed the via Appia to the port of Brundisium in 264 BC.

The itinerary from Benvenutum was now Venusia, Tarentum, Uria and Brundisium. The Roman Republic was the government of Italy, for the time being. Appius Claudius died in 273, but in extending the road a number of times, no one has tried to displace his name upon it. Extension by Trajan The emperor Trajan built the Via Traiana, an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium via Canusium and Barium rather than via Tarentum. This was commemorated by an arch at Beneventum. Spartacus In 73 BC, a slave revolt (known as the Third Servile War) under the ex-gladiator of Capua, Spartacus, began against the Romans. Slavery accounted for roughly every third person in Italy. Spartacus defeated many Roman armies in a conflict that lasted for over two years. While trying to escape from Italy at Brundisium he unwittingly moved his forces into the historic trap in Apulia/Calabria. The Romans were well acquainted with the region. Legions were brought home from abroad and Spartacus was pinned between armies.

On his defeat the Romans judged that the slaves had forfeited their right to live. In 71 BC, 6,000 were crucified along the 200-kilometer Via Appia from Rome to Capua. The World War II battle of Anzio Main article: Operation Shingle In 1943, during World War II, the Allies fell into the same trap Pyrrhus had retreated to avoid, in the Pomptine fields, the successor to the Pomptine marshes. The marsh remained, despite many efforts to drain it, until engineers working for Benito Mussolini finally succeeded. (Even so, the fields were infested with malarial mosquitos until the advent of DDT in 1950s.) Hoping to break a stalemate at Monte Cassino, the Allies landed on the coast of Italy at Anzio, ancient Antium, which was midway between Ostia and Terracina. They found that the place was undefended. They intended to move along the line of the via Appia to take Rome, outflanking Monte Cassino, but they did not do so quickly enough.

The Germans occupied Mounts Laziali and Lepini along the track of the old Via Latina, from which they rained down shells on Anzio. Even though the Allies expanded into all the Pomptine region, they gained no ground. The Germans counterattacked down the via Appia from the Alban hills in a front four miles wide, but could not retake Anzio. The battle lasted for four months, one side being supplied by sea, the other by land through Rome. In May 1944, the Allies broke out of Anzio and took Rome. The German forces escaped to the north of Florence. Via Appia antica After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the road fell out of use; Pope Pius VI ordered its restoration. A new Appian Way was built in parallel with the old one in 1784 as far as the Alban Hills region. The new road is the Via Appia Nuova ("New Appian Way") as opposed to the old section, now known as Via Appia Antica. The old Appian Way close to Rome is now a free tourist attraction. It was extensively restored for Rome's Millennium and Great Jubilee celebrations.

The first three miles are still heavily used by cars, buses and coaches but from then on traffic is very light and the ruins can be explored on foot in relative safety. The Church of Domine Quo Vadis is in the second mile of the road. Along or close to the part of the road closest to Rome, there are three catacombs of Roman and early Christian origin. The construction of Rome's ring road, the Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA, in 1951 caused the Appian Way to be cut in two. More recent improvements to the GRA have rectified this through the construction of a tunnel under the Appia, so that it is now possible to follow the Appia on foot for about ten miles from its beginning near the Baths of Caracalla. Many parts of the original road beyond Rome's environs have been preserved, and some are now used by cars (for example, in the area of Velletri). The road inspires the last movement of Ottorino Respighi's Pini di Roma. To this day the Via Appia contains the longest stretch of straight road in Europe,[4] totaling 62 km.

Monuments along the Via Appia 1st to 4th mile * Porta Appia (Porta San Sebastiano), the gate of the Aurelian Walls * Church of Domine Quo Vadis * San Sebastiano fuori le mura * catacombs of St Sebastian Tours - Guide To Italy - Limousine service transfer driverguides tours Italy Vatican Rome Lazio Tuscany Florence Naples FAQ Rome Tours Monumental Rome | Archaeological | St. Peter Basilica, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel | Trevi Fountain, the Catacombs, Appian Way, Borghese Gallery Monumental tour of Rome The capital of Italy is probably the most visited city in the world. Whilst, arguably, for the Italians Rome is primarily the political centre of the nation, for others it is its wealth of architectural and artistic treasures which makes it a truly remarkable and unforgettable city. The numerous museums, monuments and churches, not to mention the archaeological sites, represent a cultural heritage so vast that a whole lifetime would not be sufficient to explore it in its entirety. This is why if you visit the city of Rome...non basta una vita per visitarla, is not enough a life time to visit the Eternal City.

Suggested day tour of Rome with the visit of St. Peter in Chains, Basilica of St. Clemente-underground-Rome , the Coliseum, Arch of Constantine, the Capitol Hill, Catacombs of St. Sebastian, The Appian Way and Trevi Foutain, the service is driver/guided and is individually personalized. Basilica of St. Peter in Chains. San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is a small basilica in Rome, founded in the 5th century to house the reported chains that bound St. Peter in Jerusalem. Even more famous than the chains of Saint Peter is Michelangelo's statue Moses, part of the Tomb of Pope Julius II. The basilica was first built in the middle of the 5th century to house the relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter while imprisoned in Jerusalem. According to legend, when Empress Eudoxia (wife of Emperor Valentinian III) gave Pope Leo I the chains as a gift, he compared them to the chains of St. Peter's first imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison in Rome and the two chains miraculously fused together.

The chains are kept in a reliquary under the main altar in the basilica. The basilica has undergone several restorations and rebuildings, including a restoration by Pope Adrian I, a rebuilding by Pope Sixtus IV and another by Pope Julius II. There was also a renovation in 1875. Some modernizations were made at that time. Michelangelo's Moses, which dates from 1515, is the most notable piece of artwork in the basilica. Originally intended as part of a 40-statue funeral monument for Pope Julius II, "Moses" became the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in his family's church. The Basilica of St. Clement. The Basilica of St. Clement was mentioned by St. Jerome in the 4th century, is one of the most interesting in Rome from an artistic and archaeological point of view. It was almost buried under the enormous quantity of debris accumulated in that zone after the terrible fire caused by the Normans in the 11th century, but was rebuilt in the 12th century by Paschal II on higher level.

The new Basilica was built in the original form with all the architectural elements it was possible to save, so that it remains, in spite of restorations and modification of more recent date, a rare example of a typical early Christian basilica. To admire of this Basilica dated 12th century is the mosaics on the apse which, in a prodigious synthesis of Christian and pagan figurative elements, portray the Scene of the Redemption of Roman school, the Candelabra, the Schola Cantorum and more. There are notable works of art of the renaissance in this basilica, masterpieces of Masolino and Masaccio. During the excavations in the underground basilica of the 4th century, which took place in the 18th and 19th century was brougth to light by the archaeologist other Imperial and Republican constructions including a " Mithraeum", a grotto shaped room devoted to the worship of the Persian god Mithra. Mithraism, which was wide spread in the 3rd century in Rome, was a mystery religion with ritual similiar in some ways to that of Christianity. This place today is also of extraordinary interest to archaeologist.

The Coliseum, Arch of Constantine and Capitol Hill. The Anfiteatro Flavio, known throughout the world, the Coliseum is symbolic of the city of Rome. It is 50 meters high, 86 meters long and 54 meters wide, distributed on a structure of elliptic form. It was built under the rule of the Emperor Vespasiano on an artificial lake in 79 A.D. The Coliseum was inaugurated by Tito and became the theatre of frighteningly cruel games, in which gladiators fought each other and lions were let loose on human beings who were destined to be mauled to death. In the lower part of the Coliseum one can see the underground passages and the tunnels where the lions were kept. The Coliseum was later used as a source of materials for building works. Near to the Coliseum one finds Costantino's Arch which has to be the best example of the "recycling" carried out during the crisis of the Massenzio Empire in 312 A.D.

The Domus Area, once the residential quarters of Nerone which were built after the terrible fire of 64 A.D., is close by in the Colle Oppio Park.Piazza del Campidoglio originates from a design by the great Michelangelo Buonarroti, facing San Pietro, with an equestrian statue by Marco Aurelio at its center, transfered here in 1538 from the Laterano on the request of Pope Paolo III. In the Piazza del Campidoglio one finds Palazzo Senatorio, work of Giacomo Della Porta and Girolamo Rainaldi, in which Rome's County Council meets; Palazzo Nuovo, designed by the Rainaldi Brothers; Palazzo dei Conservatori, the construction of which was initiated by Michelangelo Buonarroti and completed by Giacomo Della Porta; the Pinacoteca Capitolina, which houses an impressive collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the late XVIII century, including works by Titian, Veronese, Rubens, Caravaggio and Pietro da Cortona.

Within the vicinity of Piazza del Campidoglio one can visit the medieval Church of St Maria in Aracoeli, the Fortuna Virile Temple, the Vesta Temple, the Church of St Maria in Cosmedin, the Church of St Sabina and the Church of St Alessio and Bonifacio. The Catacomb of St. Sebastian. The Catacombs of Rome are ancient catacombs, or underground burial places under or near Rome, of which there are at least forty, some discovered only in recent decades. Though most famous for Christian burials, they include pagan and Jewish burials, either in separate catacombs or mixed together. They began in the 2nd century, as much as a response to overcrowding and shortage of land as they were to satisfy the need for persecuted Christians to bury their dead secretly. The soft volcanic tofo rock under Rome is highly suitable for tunnelling, as it is softer when first exposed to air, hardening afterwards. Many have kilometers of tunnels, in up to four stories (or layers).

The Catholic catacombs are extremely important for the art history of early Christian art, as they contain the great majority of examples from before about 400 CE, in frescos andbig church was built in the 4th century. The tunnels here, if stretched out, would reach a length of 11km (6 2/3 miles). In the tunnels and mausoleums are mosaics and graffiti, along with many other pagan and Christian objects from centuries even before the time of Constantine. Though the catacombs themselves are fascinating, the tour here sculture. The Jewish catacombs are similarly important for the study of Jewish art at this period. To visit is the Catacomb of St, Sebastian, which the tomb of St. Sebastian is in the basilica, but his original resting place was in the catacombs underneath it. From the reign of Valerian to the reign of Constantine, the bodies of St, Peter and St, Paul were hidden in the catacombs, which were dug from tufa, a soft volcanic rock. The is one of the shortest and least satisfying of all the catacomb visits. The Appian Way.

The Appian Way (Via Appia) was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recorded by Statius. Appia teritur regina longarum viarum "the Appian way is commonly said to be the queen of the long roads". The road is named after Appio Cludio Cieco, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars. The main part of the Appian Way was started and finished in 312 BC. The road began as a leveled dirt road upon which small stones and mortar were laid. Upon this gravel was laid, which was finally topped with tight fitting, and interlocking stones to provide a flat surface. Some of the stones were said to fit so well that you could not slide a knife into the cracks.The road was crested in the middle (for water runoff) and had ditches on either side of the road which were protected by retaining walls.

The road began in the Roman Forum, passed through the Servian Wall at the porta capena, went through a cutting in the clivus Martis, and left the city. For this stretch of the road, the builders used the via Latina.The building of the Aurelian Wall centuries later required the placing of another gate, the Porta Appia. Outside of Rome the new via Appia went through well-to-do suburbs along the via Norba, the ancient track to the Albans hills ( Today Albano), where Norba was situated. The road at the time was a via glarea, a gravel road. The Romans built a high-quality road, with layers of cemented stone over a layer of small stones, crowned, drainage ditches on either side, low retaining walls on sunken portions, and dirt pathways for sidewalks. The via Appia is believed to have been the first Roman road to feature the use of lime cement. The materials were volcanic rock. The surface was said to have been so smooth that you could not distinguish the joints. The Roman section still exists and is lined with monuments of all periods, although the cement has eroded out of the joints, leaving a very rough surface.

Rome Tours Guide To Italy | Email: info@guidetoitaly.net | Mob: (+39) 347.6035960 | P. IVA: 02383530603 | Tax registered | Prices on request Roman Roads: Via Aemilia Roman Roads Via Aemilia - Via Flaminia - Via Appia photographs Via Aemilia The Via Aemilia (Italian: Via Emilia) was a trunk Roman road in the north Italian plain, running from Ariminum (Rimini), on the Adriatic coast, to Placentia (Piacenza) on the river Padus (Po). It was completed in 187 BC. The Via Aemilia connected at Rimini with the Via Flaminia to Rome, which had been completed 33 years earlier. History The land today known as northern Italy (Italia settentrionale) was known to the ancient Romans during the republican period (to 44 BC) as Gallia Cisalpina (literally: Gaul on the near - i.e. southern - side of the Alps).

This is because it was then inhabited by Celtic tribes from Gaul, who had colonised the area in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Italia meant the area inhabited by Italic tribes: the border between Italia and Gallia Cisalpina was roughly a line between Pisae (Pisa) and Ariminum. Gallia Cisalpina contained the Pianura padana (Po river plain). This vast country, by far the largest fertile plain in the mountainous peninsula, contained potentially its best agricultural land, and offered the Romans the opportunity to expand enormously their population and economic resources by mass colonisation. The Via Aemilia crossing Bologna. The Romans subjugated the Gauls of the Pianura Padana in a series of hard-fought campaigns in the late 3rd century BC.[1] By 220 BC, the Via Flaminia was completed, providing the Romans with ready access to the region. The Via Aemilia would probably have followed within the next century. However, Roman expansion was delayed for some twenty years by the Second Punic War.

During the Carthaginian general Hannibal's invasion of Italy (218 BC-203 BC), Roman military control of the Pianura Padana was temporarily overthrown. Many of the recently defeated tribes (such as the Insubres and the Boii) rebelled and joined forces with Hannibal in the hope of regaining their independence.[2]It was not until 189 BC that the rebel tribes had been pacified sufficiently to allow work on the Via Aemilia to begin. The time-tested Roman method of expansion was to build a brand new road straight through the newly-conquered territory, and then establish a string of colonies, either of civilian settlers or of military veterans along its route. The settlers would be allocated fertile plots from lands confiscated from the defeated native peoples. This was the precise function of the Via Aemilia: its period of construction also saw the foundation of Roman colonies along its whole length at Bononia (Bologna) (founded 189 BC), Mutina (Modena), Regium (Reggio Emilia) and Parma (all founded in 183 BC).

The Via Aemilia was completed by, and named after, the Roman consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 187 BC.[3] It ran, largely in a straight line, 176 Roman miles (260 km) NW from Rimini to its termination at Piacenza, passing through the cities of Forlì, Faenza, Bologna, Modena, Reggio and Parma. The road ran along the southern edge of the pancake-flat Pianura Padana within sight of the northern foothills of Italy's Appennine mountains, crossing numerous tributary rivers of the Po, notably the Rubicone near Rimini- although it is not certain that this river is the same as the famous Rubicon crossed by Julius Caesar in 49 BC; and the river Trebbia near Piacenza, site of the first of Hannibal's three major victories over the Romans during his invasion of Italy. At an uncertain date after its completion, the Via Aemilia was extended, by a further 49 Roman miles (72 km), from Piacenza to Mediolanum (Milan).

In the century following the construction of the Via Aemilia, Piacenza became the key Roman road hub in the pianura padana. In 148 BC, the Via Postumia linked Piacenza to Aquileia on the north Adriatic coast. In 109 BC, the consul Marcus Aemilius Scaurus completed the Via Aemilia Scaura to Genua (Genoa) and Pisae (Pisa). Remains At Rimini, the starting point of the Via Aemilia, the road's first bridge still exists, a massive structure spanning the Marecchia River, started by the Emperor Augustus and completed by his successor Tiberius. It still bears its twin dedicatory inscriptions. At Bologna, milestone 78 was found in the bed of the river Reno. It records Augustus' reconstruction of the Aemilia, in 2 BC, from Rimini as far as the river Trebbia. Remains of the Aemilia bridge over the Reno were found in the 1890s, consisting of parts of the parapets from each side. These were originally 38.75 feet apart, of Veronese red marble.

The bed of the river was found to have risen at least 20 feet since this bridge collapsed in the 9th century.[4]Ruins of some of the other ancient Roman bridges still exist. At Savignano sul Rubicone a Roman bridge survived until it was demolished as recently as World War II. The current bridge is a reconstruction. Legacy The construction of the Via Aemilia launched the intensive Roman colonisation of the Pianura Padana. The vast agricultural potential of this region soon rendered it the most populous and economically important part of Italy, overshadowing Central Italy, Rome and the South. The area remains economically preeminent in modern Italy. By the time of the Second Triumvirate (44 BC-30 BC), Romanisation of this formerly Celtic country was so complete that the province of Gallia Cisalpina was abolished and its territory incorporated into the heartland province of Italia. The road gave its name to that part of Gallia Cisalpina through which it ran. This area was, before the Roman conquest, the territory of the Gallic tribes Boii (who gave their name to the city of Bologna) and Senones.

It was already commonly referred to as Aemilia by the time the Emperor Augustus assumed sole power. In around 7 BC, when Augustus divided the provincia of Italia into 11 regiones (administrative districts), the area became the eighth regio.[5]This initially had the official name of Padus, but was later changed to Aemilia. The western part of this area is still known as Emilia today. The boundaries of the Roman VIII regio roughly corresponded to those of the modern Italian administrative region of Emilia-Romagna. Its inhabitants are today known as Emiliani. The modern Italian State Road 9 is still today popularly called the Via Emilia and follows the Roman route over much of its length. Indeed, the modern road in many parts lies directly above the Roman road. Bridges There are the remains of several Roman bridges along the road, including the Ponte d’Augusto, Ponte di Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna, Ponte San Vito, Ponte sul Reno and Ponte sul Rubicone. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Question: What Roman road, which began to be constructed in 312 BC, connected Rome to Brindisi in southeast Italy?
Answer: Appian Way