They say all roads lead to Rome – but some are more important than others
Available in e-book for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play and in print from Amazon.
Along 350 miles from Rome to Brindisi, the Appian Way rose from its humble beginnings as a military track to become the engine that transformed Ancient Rome into the greatest empire Europe had ever seen.
Two thousand years later, with the continent in the process of another seismic shift, David Hewson travels its route in the footsteps of the ordinary and extraordinary people who trod its path.
From the gladiator rebel Spartacus to the marauding general Hannibal, via emperors, martyrs and politicians, he uncovers the stories of war, intrigue and ambition buried beneath its cobblestones.
Whether you love history, travel, Italy or all three, The Appian Way is a vivid, personal and fascinating exploration of an ancient journey that has never been more relevant.
‘A seamless mix of present and past. The Appian Way brings Roman history vividly alive.’
Dakota L. Hamilton, Humboldt State University
You can go behind the scenes of the book with two exclusive web features created from David’s travels and photographs. A Google Earth project will take you along the route of the Via Appia from Rome to Brindisi, listing all the locations mentioned in the book, with notes and photographs.
Just use this link. On mobile devices you may be prompted to download the free Google Earth app to view the route more easily.
Take a closer look at the locations through the photo gallery on the right, all from David’s photos collected on location and through trips to Italy over the years.
Cryptoporticus 
The emperor’s fish ponds are still there, and still full of fat fish. 
Important site on the Via Appia used by the nearby port. 
Like many road towns, Minturnae offered travellers all the facilities. 
Ruins, Terracina 
The Via Appia is the cobbled lane on the right. 
Lions on duty 
That green diagonal line to the right is the route of the Via Appia and its accompanying canal, once travelled by the poet Horace who wrote about it too. 
The burial place of Rome’s first true emperor is now a ruin awaiting reopening. 
A reconstruction of the original meeting place of the Senate. Somewhere near here, in an earlier building, Appius was elected censor and embarked upon building the Appian Way. 
The Appia running through the heart of today’s town. 
In the remote Caffarella Park near the Appian Way, just outside Rome, this farmhouse keeps a flock of sheep and sells cheese to passing walkers. 
The arch of Septimius Severus and behind the Curia. 
This huge statue of the emperor who made Rome Christian once stood in a temple erected by the man he defeated, Maxentius. 
Inside what was once the tomb of a Roman noblewoman, later a fortress. 
Maxentius built this as a palatial home for his family along the Appian Way. The shape of the race course there is still visible. 
This stretch of an older road than the Appian probably looks more like the original than the Appian these days. 
Inside the actual tomb, a massive barrel-like structure on the Appian Way. 
The restored stretch of road just outside the city, the barrel-like structure of the tomb of Caecilia Metella on the left. 
The original gate in the walls at the Appian Way is now a museum with excellent views of the surrounding countryside. 
Signs like this all over Italy make research notes easy. 
The huge park is a rural paradise a short bus journey from Rome. 
A ruined church in the Caffarella park modelled on a previous Roman temple on the site. 
Farmer taking his flock to pasture in Caffarella. 
Remains of the altar of Caesar where the dictator was cremated after his assassination. 
People still lay flowers and throw coins on the site of Caesar’s cremation. 
This recent find was part of the emperor’s pleasure palace on the coast. 
Generals liked to boast of their triumphs in death as in life. 
The historic village of Nemi is known for its connections with Caligula and as a place where wild strawberries are grown. The local aperitif, made with the strawberries, is delicious. 
Figures found in the subterranean mithraeum in what was once one of the most important cities in Italy. 
View from inside. 
View of ruins 
This was where the Via Appia entered the city after the Romans defeated the Samnites in the campaign that caused its construction. 
The Appian Way divided at this point after Trajan built a new branch down the coast by modern Bari. 
It was from here that Spartacus broke free and began a revolt that shook Italy. Today’s ruins post-date the arena from that time. 
Cicero lived close to here and was murdered there on the orders of Augustus and Marc Antony. A mausoleum to him stands nearby on the Via Appia. 
‘Orazio’ is everywhere in his home town in Basilicata, a wonderful spot well off the beaten tourist track. 
Once an important road town on the Via Appia, Venosa is now a sleepy rural spot. 
Choose your fish and they cook it. 
An ipogeo in the Old Town. 
Modern Taranto is beset by problems, unemployment and pollution among them. But people still know how to eat well. 
Brundisium, at the end of the Via Appia, was a busy port for the Romans. 
Beautiful circular church built by warriors leaving for the Holy Land. 
Revered as a mystical spot in pre-Roman times, Nemi was the site of Caligula’s pleasure boats.
David Hewson 