History
The construction of the first section of the Via Appia began in 312 BC at the initiative of the Roman censor Appius Claudius Caecus, but the completion of the entire road system took more than a century, progressing in successive stages.
During the Imperial period, the opening of the Via Traiana, commissioned by Emperor Marcus Ulpius Trajan with top-level infrastructure works, significantly improved the efficiency of travel between Rome and the East. It eventually became the preferred route over the older Via Appia for the final stretch between Benevento and Brindisi.
The road’s title “regina viarum” (queen of roads) comes from a verse by the Latin poet Publius Papinius Statius, who in the 1st century AD—when the Via Appia was fully navigable and the Via Traiana had not yet been built—wrote: “Appia longarum teritur regina viarum” (The Appian Way is travelled, queen of the long roads).
Unesco site
The nomination process for UNESCO World Heritage status was launched by the Italian Ministry of Culture in 2022.
The site was officially inscribed during the 46th session of the UNESCO Committee, held from July 21 to 31, 2024, in New Delhi.
The motivation for including the site in the UNESCO World Heritage List is as follows:
“Stretching for more than 800 kilometers, the Via Appia is the oldest and most important of the major roads built by the ancient Romans. Constructed and maintained from 312 BC to the 4th century AD, it was originally conceived as a strategic road for military conquest, aiming toward the East and Asia Minor. Later, the Appian Way fostered the development of the cities along its route; new settlements emerged, facilitating agricultural production and trade. The site, made up of 19 sections, is a fully developed ensemble of engineering works that illustrates the advanced technical skills of Roman engineers in road and infrastructure construction, as well as in vast civil engineering and land enhancement projects. It also includes a wide range of monumental structures such as triumphal arches, baths, amphitheaters, basilicas, aqueducts, canals, bridges, and fountains.”
