Considered the first highway in history, the Appian Way forever transformed the landscape it crossed.
What was once a winding countryside became a newly ordered world of roads, fields, and vineyards.
A UNESCO-recognized heritage site.
In 2024, the Appian Way was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a recognition that confirms its historical, cultural, and universal value. Built starting in 312 BC, the so-called Regina Viarum is one of the most important infrastructures of antiquity, connecting Rome to the southern part of the peninsula and reaching Brindisi, a natural gateway to the eastern Mediterranean. In its final stretch, the Appian Way takes on a particular significance: not only a destination, but also a place of passage, exchange, and openness toward new horizons.
Brindisi as the destination
In Brindisi, the Appian Way reaches its end. Here, the land route meets the sea and becomes a gateway to the East. The port has made this place strategically important since antiquity, reinforcing the city’s role as a commercial and cultural hub. The Roman column overlooking the harbor still stands today as a symbol of this arrival point and of the continuity between past and present.
In the final stretch in Brindisi, the Appian Way continues to tell a story of encounter: between land and sea, between journey and arrival, between memory and development.
It is not just an ancient road, but a living heritage that spans time and defines the identity of the territory.
