The Appian Way was the first great artery from Rome to southern Italy and the model for all roads originating in the ancient capital. Conceived by Appius Claudius in 312 BC, the thoroughfare provided easy access to Capua, the most important junction in southern Italy, and facilitated Roman expansion into the southern peninsula. Paved in black basalt, the road was flanked by level pedestrian footpaths and bordered by tombs, villas, and pleasant rest and refreshment areas along its 365 miles, which could be walked in thirteen to fourteen days. The Appian Way provides an engaging account of the Appian Way’s origins and historical context. The structure of this lavishly illustrated book mirrors the traveler’s route south from Rome, making it an ideal guide to the legendary road for all those with an interest in exploring ancient Rome.

• Introduction, Walter Vetroni
• Foreword: Wanderings Along the Appian Way, Ivana Della Portella
• The Appian Way as Literary Journey, Vittorio Emiliani
• Origins and Historic Events, Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio
• The Urban Segment from Porta Capena to Casal Rotondo, Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio
• From the Alban Hills to Cisterna Latina, Francesca Ventre
• From the Pontine Plain to Benevento, Francesca Ventre
• From Benevento to Brindisi, Ivana Della Portella
• Horace’s Journey, Satires, 1.5
• Bibliography
• Index

Ivana Della Portella is executive adviser of Appian Way Park and director of the Antonio Cederna Documentation Center.

Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio is an archaeologist and a professor at the Seconda Università degli Studi in Naples.

Francesca Ventre is director of the Gruppo Archeologico dell’Associazione DLF in Rome.

Born in Sicily, Franco Mammana lives and works in Bergamo. His photographic work ranges from landscape and architectural photography to portraiture and photojournalism.