I visited this tWHS in 2022. Most probably I had already passed by Porta San Sebastiano and the rather ugly and urban part of the Via Appia several times in the past, but I had no photos and no real idea what possible OUV this site has to offer. So this time round, I allowed a full day to hike as much as possible and check it out. Be advised that the way, although almost flat, can get muddy so sturdy hiking shoes will certainly help.

The Appian Way in Rome is an ancient road built in 312 b.C. by Appius Claudius Caecus. The city’s gateway to the East connected Rome with Capua. It stretched from the Roman Forum for 400 miles to Brindisi, where ships sailed to Egypt and Greece, and it served as a military and economic artery. The Appian Way was revolutionary for that period and was the first Roman road to feature lime cement. The natural starting point when staying in Rome proper is going to be Porta Latina or Porta San Sebastiano. The walls near the latter are far more stunning than the first part of the old Via Appia, so much so that there is an interesting Museo delle Mura inside. The constant traffic at the rather narrow two-way road, the lack of pavements sometimes, and the amount of bicycles and/or scooters might put you off at first as the only worthy monuments left to see are a replica of the Colonna del Primo Miglio (the original can be found in the Capitoline Museum), a number of private catacomb entrances (mostly closed and quite hard to visit even with a guide) and two information boards on the Via Francigena which also passes through this road and the Parco della Via Appia Antica.

Luckily, once you arrive near the Catacombs of Saint Callisto, things change drammatically for the better. The catacombs here are easily accessible (although each with different opening and closing times, and frustratingly with different closing days too). Probably the easiest and most rewarding to visit while exploring the Appian Way are the Catacombs of Saint Callisto and the Catacombs of the Basilica di San Sebastiano, especially on a wet day. Further on, you'll reach the rather huge Massenzio complex with the ruins of a tower, a cistern and a colombarium or dove cote (free entrance) mentioned in Els' review and then the remains of the Church of Saint Nicholas and a geodetic marker (nothing to do with Struve unfortunately!) just opposite the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and Castrum Caetani.

You have to pay 8 euro for admission to the Antiquarium di Lucrezia Romana, Capo di Bove Archivio Cederna, the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and Castrum Caetani, the Via Latina Tombs, the Villa dei Quintili e Santa Maria Nova and the Villa di Sette Bassi. The 8 euro combined ticket is valid for 3 days from the first time you use it or else if you pay 15 euros for the Mia Appia Card you get unlimited access for a whole year. Tickets can be purchased online on www.coopculture.it or else at the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and Castrum Caetani or at the Villa dei Quintili. Keep in mind that most monuments with an admission fee are closed on Mondays!

Next is the Capo di Bove where you can visit the remains of thermal baths from 2 AD and monochrome mosaics in a garden (free access) and the Archivio Cederna museum. The Appian way section from here till the magnificent Villa dei Quintili e Santa Maria Nova is littered with tombs and monuments, one after the other, although most have either been reconstructed or are replicas of originals locked up in several museums mostly in Rome and the Vatican. If you had to pick just one site to visit along the Appian Way, I would recommend the Villa dei Quintili which is worth the combined admission ticket alone. Once again, the are is quite large and unsheltered so I wouldn't suggest visiting on a wet day.

From this point onwards, especially just after the dangerous crossroads with Via del Casale Rotondo and Via di Torricola, the Appian Way is less paved and much quieter. It is also still used by local shepherds for grazing so if you walk this far you're more than likely happen to be outnumbered by countless cattle, sheep and goats. Due to a limited number of private villas along the Appian Way some cars also use it to reach their residences while many others seem to use this as an excuse for a very bumpy shortcut to the centre of Rome to avoid traffic jams. Hopefully this problem will be addressed should this tWHS get inscribed.

After the Mausoleo di Casal Rotondo, the most important remains along the Appian Way are Torre Selcre, the Quintili aqueduct, Berretta del Prete, Mausoleo di Gallieno, La Mola, the Temple of Hercules and several tombs in between. I only realised how much I had hiked when I was surprised by a huge commercial plane landing at the nearby Ciampino Airport. After Torre Secchi at Frattocchie, I decided to hike back for almost half the Appian Way I had covered previously and then I took a sharp turn on the right just after Capo di Bove to explore the Via Latina tombs (2nd century AD), still within the Appian Way Regional Park, as well as the Parco degli Acquedotti. The latter is a public park of around 240 hectares named after the aqueducts that split it, the Aqua Felix and the Aqua Claudia, where you will also find the remains of the Villa delle Vignacce or di Sette Bassi.

All in all, it really was a pleasant day away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city and even if it never makes it on the list, I hope to give it a try to Brindisi!