Ancient Roman Appian Way Becomes Italy’s 60th UNESCO World Heritage Site

Italy's Via Appia Antica, or Appian Way, the earliest and most significant road built by the ancient Romans, has been accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This designation elevates Italy’s status to having the most UNESCO heritage sites globally. Known as the Regina Viarum, or Queen of Roads, the Appian Way connected Rome with the port of Brindisi in the south, marking a revolution in road construction and strategic military infrastructure.

Appius Claudius Caecus’s Queen of Roads

The first section of this historic highway was constructed in 312 BC by the Roman statesman Appius Claudius Caecus, explains The Guardian. It served as a crucial military corridor, connecting Rome to the distant regions of the Roman Empire. Before its construction, the only roads outside ancient Rome were Etruscan and primarily directed towards Etruria, a region in central Italy.

“It was originally conceived as a strategic road for military conquest, advancing towards the East and Asia Minor,” UNESCO said according to the Guardian report.

“The Via Appia later enabled the cities it connected to grow and new settlements emerged, facilitating agricultural production and trade.”

The initial 17 kilometers (10 miles) of the cobblestone path remain preserved within the Appia Antica archaeological park in southern Rome, attracting history enthusiasts, walkers, and cyclists. This stretch is lined with remnants of ancient Roman aqueducts and villas, and beneath it lies a network of catacombs where early Christian converts were buried.

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The ancient Roman road called the Appian Way, taken at ground level with the stones forming its pavement in the very foreground. On either side are pine trees and ancient Roman ruins. (ninika/Adobe Stock)

A Symbol of Roman Engineering Prowess

The inclusion of the Appian Way in the UNESCO World Heritage list heralds its historical and cultural significance. UNESCO recognized the road for illustrating:

“the advanced technical skill of Roman engineers in the construction of roads, civil-engineering projects, infrastructure, and sweeping land-reclamation works, as well as a vast series of monumental structures including, for example, triumphal arches, baths, amphitheaters, and basilicas, aqueducts, canals, bridges, and public fountains”.

Initially conceived as a strategic road for military conquest, the Appian Way facilitated the expansion of the Roman Empire towards the East and Asia Minor. It later enabled the growth of cities and the emergence of new settlements along its route, boosting agricultural production and trade. The road exemplifies the Romans' mastery in creating enduring infrastructure that connected and consolidated their empire.

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The path of the Via Appia and of the Via Appia Traiana. (Public Domain)

Broad Support and Recognition

The bid for the Appian Way to be added to the UNESCO heritage list was championed by Italy’s culture ministry and supported by a broad coalition of 73 municipalities, 15 parks, 12 cities and provinces, four regions (Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, and Puglia), 25 Italian and foreign universities, and the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, explains Wanted in Rome. This extensive support underscores the road’s cultural and historical importance to Italy and the world.

Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, hailed the recognition as "a prestigious milestone," noting that UNESCO had acknowledge:

"the exceptional universal value of an extraordinary engineering work which over the centuries has been essential for commercial, social, and cultural exchanges with the Mediterranean and the East".

Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, echoed these sentiments, describing the Appian Way as “the symbol of an entire civilization”.

An existing section of the Appian way runs through and out of Rome.(Martina/Adobe Stock)

Preserving a Legacy

Today, the Appian Way remains a testament to Roman ingenuity and the empire’s expansive reach. The preserved sections of the road and its surrounding archaeological features provide invaluable insights into Roman engineering, culture, and history. The Appian Way’s inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list celebrates its historical significance, and will help ensure its preservation for future generations.

Visitors to the Appia Antica archaeological park can walk along the same stones that once carried Roman legions, traders, and travelers. The park offers a vivid experience of the past, where ancient ruins and modern efforts at preservation coexist on Rome’s greatest road.

Top image: Appian way (or Via Appia antica) section in its urban regional park in Rome, Italy.      Source: Paolo/Adobe Stock

By Gary Manners