The start of the Via Appia is nothing short of remarkable. You’re in Rome, right in the city center. After leaving the Circus Maximus behind, you navigate the bustling streets, quickly making your way down the grand avenue toward the Baths of Caracalla. You arrive at Piazzale Numa Pompilio, just steps away from the home of Alberto Sordi, the quintessential figure of the “average Italian” in cinema. Marked by a milestone, the road splits, narrows, and greenery begins to replace the concrete, with cobblestones underfoot.

On either side are villas, gardens, and walled parks owned by the well-to-do. Then you see the grand travertine arch of Porta San Sebastiano, the largest and best-preserved gate in the Aurelian Walls. Originally called Porta Appia, the gate was named after the Via Appia, which began a bit further back at Porta Capena in the Servian Walls, where the Celian, Palatine, and Aventine hills meet. Today, the first 4 km of that route are no longer visible.