Last Saturday, we ALL went to the Appian Way. It was pretty cool, but certainly not what I expected! It is an actual road that people drive, work, and live on...right in the middle of town! Not at all what I was expecting. But we certainly had a good time, great weather, and a nice walk.
The Appian Way was the first and greatest Roman road. It was built in 312 B.C. and at one time was 430 miles long (most of it completely straight) from Rome to Brindisi (where ships sailed to Greece and Egypt). The road itself is lined with christian catacombs. In ancient Rome, law stated that no one could be buried inside the walls of the city...Romans preferred to be cremated, which left christians, who chose to be buried because they believed the return of Christ was close at hand, to find places for their dead. Some wealthy christian landowners offered their land and they built series of tunnels and tombs under the ground (up to 5 layers deep) called catacombs.
The whole gang on the road...
The Appian Way was the first and greatest Roman road. It was built in 312 B.C. and at one time was 430 miles long (most of it completely straight) from Rome to Brindisi (where ships sailed to Greece and Egypt). The road itself is lined with christian catacombs. In ancient Rome, law stated that no one could be buried inside the walls of the city...Romans preferred to be cremated, which left christians, who chose to be buried because they believed the return of Christ was close at hand, to find places for their dead. Some wealthy christian landowners offered their land and they built series of tunnels and tombs under the ground (up to 5 layers deep) called catacombs.
The whole gang on the road...
Parts of the Circus of Maxentius (a chariot race course)...
The road itself and I think that is wheel ruts in the stones...
In the area leading into the catacombs...
The catacombs...apparently I wasn't supposed to take pictures...Oops!
We had lunch in this LOVELY park under some orange trees, Case was helping out his brother and sister on the teeter-totter...
This was our last outing with Uncle Shannon...she flew home that day (well, at least boarded the plane for Amterdam that day)...we miss you!
Have a wonderful day!
Ciao a tutti!
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