Walking or cycling the ancient Appian Way: the hotel in Rome to start from

There are roads you travel along and roads you travel through time on. The ancient Appian Way belongs to the second kind: walking on its lava paving stones, worn by twenty-three centuries of wheels and footsteps, among monumental tombs, imperial villas and umbrella pines, is one of the most moving experiences Rome can offer, and since 2024 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best way to experience it is to devote a whole day to it, setting out from a nearby, well-connected hotel: Hotel Meeting Roma, a hotel at the Ciampino exit of the Grande Raccordo Anulare ring road, is minutes from the southern stretch of the park and from Via Appia Nuova, which runs parallel to the ancient road.

The Queen of Roads: 2,300 years of history

In 312 BC the censor Appius Claudius Caecus had a road laid out to link Rome with Capua, so that the legions could move quickly southwards during the Samnite Wars. It was the first great Roman consular road and an unprecedented feat of engineering: straight for kilometres, paved with large polygonal blocks of basalt, built on layered foundations, with pavements and milestones. During the 2nd century BC it was extended to Benevento, Taranto and finally Brindisi, the port of embarkation for Greece and the East: the poet Statius called it the "Regina Viarum", the Queen of Roads.

Along the first kilometres outside the walls the wealthiest Romans built their tombs, since burial within the city was forbidden by law and a tomb on the busiest road guaranteed eternal remembrance. Cicero and Horace walked here, legions and triumphs passed by, and the first Christian catacombs were dug alongside it. After centuries of neglect and plundering, the Appia was rediscovered by Grand Tour travellers, restored by Luigi Canina in the mid-19th century and finally protected by the Appia Antica Regional Park (1988), over 4,500 hectares of countryside that the Appia Antica Archaeological Park now safeguards together with its monuments.

Unmissable stops along the Appian Way

The classic route starts at Porta San Sebastiano, the largest and best-preserved gate of the Aurelian Walls, home to the Museum of the Walls. At the first mile you come to the little church of Domine Quo Vadis, where tradition says Peter, fleeing Rome, met Christ; then follow the Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano, the Circus of Maxentius with the Mausoleum of Romulus (309 AD), the best-preserved Roman circus, and at the third mile the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, the travertine drum turned into a fortress by the Caetani family and the very symbol of the Appia.

From here the road becomes what it once was: the ancient paving re-emerges, the cars disappear and the most evocative stretch begins, among tombs, headless statues, the Capo di Bove complex and, at the fifth mile, Villa dei Quintili with its imposing baths. Continuing south you pass Casal Rotondo, Torre Selce, the Mausoleum of Gallienus and finally, about 16 kilometres from the gate, Frattocchie, where the ancient Appia rejoins Via Appia Nuova at the foot of the Castelli Romani, a stone's throw from Ciampino.

The hotel to start from: on foot, by bike, with the shuttle

Anyone looking for a hotel near the ancient Appian Way has two needs: to be a short distance from the park and to get around easily. Hotel Meeting Roma, at Via Pier Vittorio Aldini 38/A, meets both. By car, with free private parking, you reach the southern entrances of the park (Villa dei Quintili, Casal Rotondo) in ten minutes and Cecilia Metella and the catacombs in a quarter of an hour: so you can walk the Appia in reverse, from the countryside towards the city, along its least crowded stretch. The hotel shuttle takes you to metro line A and to Ciampino station, from where buses 118, 218 and 664 serve the various park entrances; the Information Point at Via Appia Antica 58-60 rents bicycles for the whole day.

The ideal time is Sunday, when the road is closed to traffic from Porta San Sebastiano to beyond Cecilia Metella and becomes a long avenue for walkers and cyclists. On your return our hotel awaits you with comfortable rooms, free Wi-Fi, breakfast included, a bar and a restaurant for dinner without going out; the centre of Rome remains 12 minutes by train from Ciampino station, for those who want to alternate the Appia with the Forum and the Colosseum.

Practical tips

The ancient paving is uneven: wear hiking shoes or sturdy trainers, and if cycling choose a bike with wide tyres. Bring water and something to eat, as refreshment points are rare beyond Cecilia Metella; the shade of the pines helps, but in summer set off early. A full route from Frattocchie to Porta San Sebastiano takes 4-5 hours on foot or 2 hours by bike, excluding stops; the ticketed sites (Villa dei Quintili, Cecilia Metella, the catacombs, the Circus of Maxentius) have different closing days, to be checked on the official websites.

In short

Walking the ancient Appian Way means crossing the history of Rome from 312 BC to the present day, in a landscape recognised as a World Heritage Site. Hotel Meeting Roma is the hotel to start from: ten minutes from the park entrances, close to Ciampino airport and station, with free parking, a shuttle and the comfort of a family-run hotel at honest prices.

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