We made it!

The Appian Way

   Some journeys merely give you a glimpse back in time. Others affect your spirit as well. This was one of those latter journeys. In 1958, at the age of 13, Lorraine saw a picture of the ancientbRoman road, the Appian Way (the "...queen of the long roads" - Stratius) in her Latin book and commented that some day she would stand on that same road. To make this dream come true, we had to wait two extra days for rain showers to clear out, after all this ten mile plus round trip walk would not have been enjoyable in the rain. We followed the Tiber River south, past the Circus Maximus, the Palentine Hill (home of the empowers), and the Baths of Caracalla, until we reached the Porta San Sebastián along the Aurelian wall (the defensive wall protecting Rome). We had finally arrived at the acknowledged beginning of the Appia Antica, the old Appian Way,. This road was one of the earliest and most strategically important roads for the old Roman Republic, as it linked Rome to the harbor town of Brandisi 350 miles away, as well as being the main military supply route for the army bases along the way. It's construction began and was completed in 312 B.C.

Along the way, we came across the church Domine Quo Vardis..."Lord, where are you going?" St. Peter met a vision of Jesus here who convinced Peter to return to Rome to face his persecutors and eventual crucifixion.

Inside the Domine Quo Vardis church, in the middle of the main aisle, are the imprints of two feet, that the Catholic Church claims are the footprints of Jesus when he met with St. Peter.

Approximately 3 miles into the Appian way is the Villa of Emperor Maxentius. It contains the best preserved circus in all of Rome and is only second in size to the Circus Maximus. Completed around 312 AD, it apparently never saw regular use as Maxentius died the following year.