A spring morning on Rome’s oldest road
Ancient Rome at its quietest: the Appian Way, edged with spring green and open countryside.
Rome’s oldest road, at its greenest.
Cycle beyond the city walls along the Appia Antica, passing ancient tombs, aqueducts and open countryside. It is a different way to experience Rome, with the road leading you from the city into a landscape where ancient history and spring greenery sit side by side.
Two thousand years, still leading out of the city.
The Appia Antica was built as one of ancient Rome’s great roads, leading south from the city. Basalt paving, tombs and umbrella pines carry you into a version of Rome that feels wide open and wonderfully removed from the centre. By bike, there is time to notice the details that a car would miss.
Where archaeology and countryside meet.
The route passes through the Caffarella valley and towards the Park of the Aqueducts, with catacombs, mausoleums and long stretches of green between them. In spring, wildflowers and fresh growth bring another layer to the landscape, making the ride feel as much like a day outdoors as a journey through ancient history.
Return to Rome with the sun behind you.
After a morning beyond the city walls, cycle back towards the centre as the landscape gradually gives way to Rome again. The contrast is part of the pleasure: countryside and ruins behind you, the city ahead, and a different sense of its scale.
