The Roman road network was the most advanced infrastructure system of the ancient world — 400,000 km of roads connecting every corner of the Empire, built to a specific engineering standard (layered stone foundations, cambered surface for drainage, precise gradient control) that produced roads so durable that many are still in use today under their modern asphalt surface. The Via Appia Antica (the oldest and most prestigious Roman road, built 312 BC by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus) is the most accessible ancient road walk in Italy: the first 16 km south of Rome retain original basalt sett pavement, lined with the mausolea of wealthy Roman families (the ancient Roman prohibition on burial within the city walls concentrated the tombs along the road outside), the catacomb systems underneath, and the Circus of Maxentius (the best-preserved ancient racing circus in existence). Rome guide
Plan my Italy trip →Via Appia Antica: 312 BC; original basalt pavement from km 3 to km 16 from Rome; accessible by bus (Line 218) or bicycle hire from the Circo Massimo | Via Francigena: 1,900 km Canterbury to Rome; Italian section 1,000 km from the Aosta Valley to Rome; many sections on Roman alignment | Best Via Appia section: km 3-10, the Caffarella valley section, car-free on Sundays
The Via Appia Antica (the Appian Way) was Rome's most important road — the Regina Viarum (Queen of Roads), as the Roman poet Statius called it. Built in 312 BC as a military road to Capua (212 km south of Rome), extended to Brindisi on the Adriatic (540 km from Rome) by 191 BC, it became the primary route between Rome and the eastern Mediterranean. The specific construction: the Appian Way's original paving uses large basalt polygonal setts (the dark volcanic stone quarried from the Alban Hills and the Castelli Romani) set in a bed of concrete and gravel, with a crown (the slight convex curve of the road surface) to drain rainwater to the sides. The setts are irregular polygons (not uniform squares or rectangles) fitted together without mortar — the specific Roman technique that gives the surface both rigidity and slight flexibility for ground movement.
The walking logistics: the most historically authentic and practically walkable section of the Via Appia Antica is between km 3 (the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, the best-preserved Roman tomb on the road, built c.30 BC for the daughter of a Roman general) and km 10-12 (the Villa of Quintili, a massive 2nd-century AD estate that covers approximately 24 hectares and is now partially excavated). The Sunday car-free closing: the Via Appia Antica is closed to private motor traffic on Sundays from km 2 to km 10, making Sunday morning the optimal walking time. Bicycle hire from the Appia Antica Regional Park visitor centre near the Circus of Maxentius. Bus access: ATAC Line 118 or 218 from Circo Massimo metro (Line B). Rome 3-day itinerary
The Via Appia Antica walking circuit from km 3 to km 10 passes: the Tomb of Cecilia Metella (c.30 BC, the best-preserved drum-shaped Roman mausoleum in the world — 29 metres in diameter, converted to a fortress tower in the medieval period by the Caetani family, who used it to control road traffic; the original travertine marble cladding survives on the lower half); the Circus of Maxentius (306-312 AD, the best-preserved ancient Roman circus in existence — 513 metres long, capacity approximately 10,000 spectators, used for chariot racing; the starting gates, the spina central barrier, and the seating banks are all visible); and the Catacombs (San Callisto and San Sebastiano catacombs, on the east side of the road — the Christian burial tunnels that extended for approximately 15-20 km of combined length under the road zone, burial place of 16 popes and the martyrs Feliciano and Agapito; guided visits from the catacomb entrances, approximately EUR 10 each).
The Via Appia Antica (the Appian Way) is Rome's oldest major road — built 312 BC by censor Appius Claudius Caecus, originally connecting Rome to Capua (212 km), later extended to Brindisi (540 km). The most prestigious Roman road (the Regina Viarum, Queen of Roads). Original basalt polygonal paving survives from km 3 to km 16 from Rome. Walkable on Sundays (car-free km 2-10). Key monuments: Tomb of Cecilia Metella, Circus of Maxentius, San Callisto Catacombs. Bicycle hire from the Appia Antica visitor centre.
Via Appia Antica access: Bus ATAC Line 218 from San Giovanni metro station (Line A) — approximately 20 minutes to the Cecilia Metella stop. Line 118 from Circo Massimo metro (Line B) — approximately 25 minutes. By bicycle: hire from the Appia Antica visitor centre (at the Circus of Maxentius entrance, approximately EUR 5/hour or EUR 15/day); the flat road makes cycling the most efficient way to cover the full historical stretch. By car: driving is permitted Monday-Saturday but parking is limited; Sunday the road is car-free km 2-10.
The Via Francigena is the medieval pilgrim road from Canterbury to Rome — 1,900 km, following the route documented by Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury in 994 AD after his journey to collect the pallium from Pope John XV. The Italian section (approximately 1,000 km from the Great St. Bernard Pass to Rome via Aosta, Vercelli, Piacenza, Lucca, Siena, and Viterbo) follows or closely parallels Roman road alignments in several sections. Modern walking infrastructure: the Via Francigena has been progressively waymarked since the 1990s, with pilgrim hostels (ostelli del pellegrino) at approximately 20-25 km intervals in Tuscany and Lazio. The Italian Via Francigena association (viefrancigene.org) provides route information, maps, and credential (pilgrim passport) for the stamps.
Walkable Roman roads in Italy: the Via Appia Antica south of Rome (km 3-16, original basalt pavement); the Via Aurelia coastal section north of Rome (the road to Genoa, with original paving visible in several sections near Civitavecchia); the Via Aemilia (the Po valley road, Bologna to Rimini, whose original alignment is followed exactly by the modern SS9 — the straightest road in Italy, 176 km with no significant deviation); the Via Postumia in the Veneto (sections near Padua and Verona where original milestones survive); and the Via Flaminia (Rome to Rimini, with the Ponte Augusto at Narni and the Furlo gorge section in the Marche where the road cuts through solid rock — one of the most dramatic Roman engineering achievements still accessible on foot).
Roman road construction used a layered system (the agger): bottom layer of large stones (the statumen); second layer of broken stone and concrete (the rudus); third layer of smaller gravel and concrete (the nucleus); top surface of large stone setts (the summum dorsum) for urban roads or compacted gravel for rural roads. The specific innovation: the crown (the slight convex curve across the road width) that directed rainwater to drainage ditches on both sides. The total depth of the construction: 0.9-1.5 metres for major roads. The specific basalt sett paving visible on the Via Appia Antica uses the irregular polygon technique — stones of different sizes fitted together without mortar, producing a surface that distributes load without cracking and accommodates slight ground movement.
The Via Appia Antica catacombs: the Christian prohibition on cremation (which the Roman pagan tradition used) and the Roman prohibition on burial within the city walls combined to make the roads outside Rome the primary Christian burial zone from the 2nd to 4th centuries. The San Callisto Catacombs (Via Appia Antica 110, open Thursday-Tuesday, EUR 10) are the largest — approximately 20 km of tunnels on 4 levels, burial place of 16 popes from the 2nd-3rd centuries and approximately 500,000 Christians. The San Sebastiano Catacombs (200 metres south of San Callisto) are older and include the specific reliquary of Saint Sebastian; the 4th-century basilica above was one of the seven pilgrimage basilicas of Rome.
Via Appia Antica Sunday car-free walk + Cecilia Metella tomb + Circus of Maxentius + San Callisto Catacombs + bicycle return.
Plan my trip →The Via Flaminia (the road from Rome to Rimini, 326 km, begun 220 BC by the censor Gaius Flaminius) has several specifically walkable sections: the Ponte Milvio (the Roman bridge over the Tiber, 109 BC, still the main road bridge crossing at its location — the specific bridge where Constantine defeated Maxentius in 312 AD, the battle that preceded the Edict of Milan and the legalisation of Christianity); the Furlo Gorge section in the Marche (the Gola del Furlo, where the Via Flaminia was cut directly through a limestone cliff — the Roman tunnel through the Furlo rock face, 38 metres long, is still used as a road today and is the most dramatic single Roman road engineering achievement accessible by foot); and the Narni section in Umbria (the Ponte d'Augusto, the Roman bridge abutment above the Nera river gorge, one of the most atmospherically ruined ancient structures in central Italy).
The Via Aurelia (Rome to Pisa, 363 km, begun c.241 BC) has walkable sections near Civitavecchia (50 km north of Rome): the ancient road alignment is visible as a raised agger in the Maremma countryside, with the occasional original surface exposed by erosion. The specific Aurelia walking recommendation: the Vulci archaeological park (90 km north of Rome, near Montalto di Castro) where the Via Aurelia passes through the excavated Etruscan-Roman city of Vulci — the Etruscan bridge (Ponte dell'Abbadia, 3rd century BC) is one of the most preserved Etruscan architectural structures in Italy, accessible on foot through the archaeological park.
The Furlo Gorge (Gola del Furlo, province of Pesaro-Urbino, Marche) is the most dramatic single Roman road engineering achievement on the Via Flaminia — a limestone gorge where the road was cut directly into the cliff face and a 38-metre Roman tunnel (the Foro di Vespasiano, enlarged from an earlier Republican tunnel by Emperor Vespasian in 76 AD) was bored through the rock to allow the road to bypass the gorge section. The Roman tunnel is still in use as a road today — you can drive or walk through it, touching the same rock surface that Roman engineers quarried in 76 AD. The Furlo gorge section is approximately 200 km from Rome, 30 km west of Urbino.
The Via Francigena as a modern pilgrimage route has significant differences from the medieval original: the medieval pilgrim walked 25-35 km per day, slept in monastery guest houses or barns, and spent approximately 60 days on the Italian section from the Alps to Rome. The modern Via Francigena offers waymarked trails (often on Roman road alignments), specific pilgrim hostels (EUR 10-25/night for a bed, including dinner in some cases), a credential (pilgrim passport) for stamps at each stopping point, and GPS tracks downloadable from viefrancigene.org. The modern walking time: approximately 30-40 days for the full Italian section, or shorter regional sections (the Tuscan section from Lucca to Rome is the most developed, approximately 15 days).
Via Appia Antica walking equipment: sturdy footwear with ankle support (the original basalt sett surface is uneven and can be slippery when wet — trainers are acceptable for the flat sections but walking boots are recommended for the km 5-10 rural section where the road becomes unpaved); sunscreen and a hat (the road is exposed in the summer months; there is little shade between the km 3 Cecilia Metella tomb and the beginning of the pine avenue around km 5); water (the basalt sett sections do not have bars or water stops — carry at least 1.5 litres per person for the full km 3-10 circuit); and a light layer (the catacomb visits at 12-14 degrees year-round require a light jacket even in summer). Sunday is recommended for the car-free experience.
The Milliarium Aureum (the Golden Milestone, set up by Augustus in 20 BC in the Roman Forum) was the monument from which all Roman road distances were measured — the 0 km point of the entire Roman road network. The base of the Milliarium Aureum (a cylindrical marble column covered in gilded bronze with the distances to the major cities of the Empire inscribed) is preserved in the Roman Forum, near the Temple of Saturn. All Roman road distance stones (milestones, measured in Roman miles of 1,480 metres) referenced back to this point. The specific Roman road culture: the milestones were set every Roman mile along every major road in the Empire — the Via Appia Antica has several original milestones in situ between km 3 and km 12, including the famous Tavola di Peutinger milestone references.