Via Appia Antica

Today was another lovely sunny day in Rome.  We caught the metro and then the bus to the beginning of the Via Appia Antica where we hired a bicycle.  It really was a highlight of the trip cycling along this road which was built 2200 years ago and wondering about all the other people who had travelled this way before us.

ruins of a tomb on the Via Appia Antica

The road is quite quiet in the off season

Peeking through the wall on the side of the road

The Romans built many tombs and other buildings along the road

The original parts of the road have great big stones and they're a bit rough for cycling

The new cobbles are much more friendly to cyclists bottoms

More ruins - I wonder who used to live here

Excavations show the floor mosiac at the the entrance to the Roman Baths circa 96 AD

Someone built a new house on top of this tomb

This was just on the side of the road where you can climb up and have a look

Its very tall looking up from the base of the wall

behind the cactus you can see the remains of the aquaduct in the distance

This friendly pussycat came to say Hello at the tomb of St Cecelia Mettela

Ah - a nice warm lap

we would love to have had a better look around here but it was too late in the afternoon

The cafe where we hired the bikes from

There are many old tombs, sentry posts and the remains of castles along the side of the road.  We loved the countryside, the birds were singing, butterflies and bees were going about their business while the warm autumn sun shone down.  We only wish we had arrived earlier in the morning to be able to explore a little more.