The queen of roads and the underground cemeteries of the early Christians
Begun in 312 BC by the censor Appius Claudius, the Via Appia linked Rome to Capua and then to Brindisi, the gateway to the East: the Romans called it the "queen of roads". Its first miles outside the city, now a regional park, are still paved with the original basalt stones and lined with tombs, ruins of villas, umbrella pines and cypresses. In 2024 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Along it lie the great catacombs of the early Christians, underground cemeteries with kilometres of galleries dug into the tuff: those of San Callisto, with the Crypt of the Popes, of San Sebastiano and of Domitilla. Further on stand the circular tomb of Cecilia Metella and the Villa of the Quintilii. The best way to explore it is by bicycle.
Tip: on Sundays the road is closed to traffic; rent a bike at the park's visitor centre near Porta San Sebastiano. Catacomb visits are guided and take about forty minutes.
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