Via Appia Antica (Appian Way)

Built in 312 BC, the Via Appia Antica was Rome's first great road — stretching 563 kilometers to Brindisi and lined with the tombs of Roman aristocrats who could not be buried within the city walls. Today, the first section beyond the Aurelio Wall passes through one of Italy's most atmospheric archaeological parks.

The original basalt stones remain in place, worn smooth by millennia of wagon wheels. Cypresses line the verges. The Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano are here, as is the Circus of Maxentius and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. On Sundays the road is closed to traffic and best explored by bike, which can be rented at the park entrance. Go in the late afternoon when the light turns golden through the trees.