One day visitng the archeological ruins along the ancient Appia street
THE URBAN STRETCH, FROM PORTA CAPENA TO PORTA SAN SEBASTIANO Your english-speaking driver will pick you up at your hotel in Rome and whisk you away from the chaos of the city The ancient via (street) Appia is known as the marvelous regina viarum (queen of streets) for its huge length, for its antiquity and for its astonishing monuments. Opened in the year 312 a. D., it carried on working during the whole Middle Ages, being the main link to reach Southern Italy and to board to Jerusalem. Along its itinerary, Roman habits left their most typical buildings for centuries: the colossal baths erected under the emperor Caracalla in the 3rd century, noblemen’s (the Scipioni family sepulchre) and freedmen’s tombs (the colombarium, i.e. a common cremation burial, of rich Pomponius Hylas), high functional aqueducts with their precious marble surfaces (Drusus’ arch) and massive walls and towers to defend the city (Porta, i.e. door, San Sebastiano). Typical lunch on demand THE SUBURBAN STRETCH, FROM PORTA SAN SEBASTIANO TO CECILIA METELLA'S MAUSOLEUM Crossing the roman walls (Aurelian walls, built in the 3rd century a. D.) at Porta San Sebastiano means entering the Parco regionale dell’Appia Antica (ancient Appia regional park), founded in 1988 for its historic, archeological and naturalistic value, including 3500 hectars of surface. There, according to tradition, after death, Jesus Christ met Saint Peter (Domine quo vadis? church); there, lots of early christian popes were buried since the late 2nd century a. D. (Callistus’ catacombs); there, the emperor Maxentius had his own circus (for 10,000 spectators) and palace built, together with a suggestive mausoleum for his prematurely died son Romulus; there, the important matrona (roman lady) Cecilia Metella was buried in a white circular mausoleum built in the year 50 b. C. Drop off to the hotel at the end of the day |    |
SERVICES INCUDED
- Day transfer by air-conditioned limo, van or minibus; depending on the number of people in your party
- Guide service provided for the whole day (7 hrs)
PRICE PER PERSON
Additional 4% payment processing fee if payment is made by credit card of PayPal |  |
BACK TO CATEGORY ART AND HISTORY