Appia Antica, or the Appian Way, is an ancient Roman road that you can just walk or ride along for…read morefree, soaking in the sights and history as you go about your day. It's part of the Appian Way Regional Park, the second-largest urban park in Europe, and it's a genuinely astonishing place. We went on a bike tour with TopBike Rentals on the first full day of our trip to Rome. I booked it then because I wanted to go on a Sunday, when Appian Way would be closed to cars. I feel great about all of these choices. The tour was one of the best things we did on our trip, and though the road would have been amazing on any day, it was nice to enjoy it with reduced traffic. What a place, unlike anywhere else I've ever visited. Built around 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Appian Way was one of ancient Rome's earliest and most important roads, a main route for communication and moving military supplies in the days of the Roman Republic. If a butterfly flaps its wings, etc. etc., right? Imagine how different the world might be if there had been no Appian Way. The road is incredibly well preserved, with miles of volcanic stones that have seen over two thousand years of travelers. It wasn't the easiest surface to bike on, even with our handy e-bikes, but the ride was extraordinary. We made several stops along the way, and were very grateful for our guide, who filled us in on the history. We saw the Catacomb of Callixtus, the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, the Gothic ruin of the Chiesa di San Nicola a Capo di Bove. The road was lined with tombs--apparently it was quite expensive and prestigious to be buried along the Appian Way. We also learned that this was where the Roman Republic crucified 6,000 slaves after Spartacus's rebellion. We left the road proper to ride around the Park of the Aqueducts, another awe-inspiring place within the Appian Way Regional Park. I hope to return to Appian Way one day, and would urge anyone visiting Rome to set aside time to explore the road properly. It's been around for over 2,000 years, and I have no doubt it will survive us all, for another 2,000 or more.

Visited Rome last month with Appia Antica on our agenda for a Sunday afternoon. Marco was very…read morehelpful in setting up the tour from the States and was our driver in a little electric car. Joy, our guide was a wealth of information as we drove the ancient Roman road and stopped along the way to see the ruins. We took the metro and a bus from Vatican City as the park is a bit distant from the center of Rome, but it is well worth the trip.