Via Appia Antica

Visited Rome last month with Appia Antica on our agenda for a Sunday afternoon. Marco was very helpful 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.

It would be hard to give the Appian trail anything other than five stars; it's a testament to the Italians that this trail still exists, and we very much enjoyed our hike. There's a ton to see on the walk, but just the feeling of walking the road that, quite literally, "leads to Rome" is a five star experience.

We visited the Appia Antica with Enjoy Rome - our tour guide Larissa was fabulous. Best tour we had in Rome- and we have had some very good tours here. We visited the Appian Way- and were able to walk on it- what a thrill. It's gorgeous out here in the country, among the ruins, with less people- and there are place stop and get a coffee (and our guide kindly allowed us to do that- so we sat, under old olive trees, to savor the beauty of the day and the history all around us. This is a truly amazing bit of history waiting for you a little off the beaten track- do go, if you have the time!

Appia Antica was on our list of top must see sights in rome. We really weren't sure how easy it would be to walk down there from our city center hotel location, so we decided to take a taxi. As it turned out, it really wasn't a far trip for us, so we easily walked our way back afterwards. So if you're not too afraid of walking, it only took us maybe 25 minutes on foot (which was nothing to us after all the walking we've been doing on our trip). The Appian Way is a long stretch and we figured the best way to see a nice chunk of it was to rent a couple bikes. Ecobikes provided us with very inexpensive and decent bike rentals to make the trip. They even have motorized versions if you don't want to peddle your way through. We chose the basic bikes though and it was a very nice ride! The cobble stones are easy to peddle through and any area that gets too choppy you can ride around on little dirt tracks beside the road. The atmosphere was so beautiful and peaceful. There is so much to see along the way, from ruins to villas to catacombs. There are also many places to stop and eat along the first portion of the trail. My absolute favorite part of the trek was when a heard of goats started crossing the road with bells around their necks! It's exactly what you'd hope and expect to see in a place like this!! I love it! Appia Antica is definitely an essential to any trip to Rome. So take a tour, rent some bikes or take walk down this beautiful ancient road. It is way too dreamy to pass up.