Rome trip report -- Appian Way and Villa dei Quintili

I was in Rome in late May for a couple of quick days before meeting up with an archaeological tour of Lazio (the area surrounding Rome). For those days, I wanted to focus on the Appian Way -- the part that is past the catacombs -- and on one of its major sites, the Villa dei Quintili.

On Saturday, after arriving around noon from my overnight flight, I decided to make a beeline for the Villa dei Quintili. On Sunday, after a good night's sleep, the plan was to take a bus to the 6th mile marker on the Via Appia and walk from there toward Rome, as far as the 3rd mile marker (where the catacombs and the Tomb of Caecilia Metella can be found).

I'd done a lot of research on the transportation, and the ATAC bus site was a huge help. In fact, if I had trusted my own research instead of listening to the bus driver on day 2, I'd have saved a pile of walking. But that's jumping ahead....

(More to come...)

The Villa dei Quintili is a huge villa located on the ancient Appian Way. It was owned by two brothers during the reign of Emperor Commodus (he of "Gladiator" fame). Commodus coveted the villa so much that he had the two brothers (the Quintili) killed on trumped-up charges so that he could possess it. And of course, he added to it to make it even more luxurious.

At the time that early archaeologists first uncovered the villa, the ruins were so extensive that they actually thought they had uncovered another early town, and named it "Roma Vecchia" ("Old Rome").

It only became state property in the late 1990s and has been open to the public since around 2000.

The site is easy to reach using public transportation. I took the metro (Line A) to Colli Albani stop. Right outside the metro stop is a fairly large bus depot -- follow signs for ATAC if you don't immediately see it.

Take bus #664 (you can use same ticket that you used for the metro) to the Squillace stop (tell the the bus driver you are going to Villa Quintili, but he may forget, so keep an eye out. The stop name is listed on the sign at the bus stop. Tip: make sure you get on the bus going in the right direction. You can tell because the names of the stops mentioned above will be listed on the bus stop sign.

After exiting the bus, you will enter through the gate and into the small building to get your ticket, then you are free to walk up to the site, which is quite extensive:

By entering this way, you are actually going through the back, so to speak. The original entrance was on the Via Appia, a prestigious address. Guests were greeted at the entrance to the estate by a monumental fountain, remains of which are still very impressive (see below).

However, the site cannot be accessed from the old Via Appia these days.

Emperor Commodus was quite fond of gladiatorial combat, and had a "mini" gladiatorial arena installed on site so he could watch rehearsals and/or actual contests. Later emperors (presumably less blood-thirsty) turned this circular feature into a garden.

Commodus also installed impressive private baths, including the frigidarium (cold room) shown here:

In the warm rooms, you can clearly see both the underground heating system (including a furnace) and the "tubulae" that piped hot steam through the walls (see below). There is also a restored latrine.

In the Imperial quarters of the villa, you can still see remnants of frescoed walls and mosaic floors, as well as floors made of inlaid marbles of different colors which were quite expensive and were considered much more impressive than mosaics.

There is a small museum on site, where you can see a few of the finds from the villa. For example, I really liked these unusual capitals of dolphins that once topped the columns in the baths (see below). However, the many excellent statues (including many of the imperial families) have been moved to other museums.

All in all, it was a nice half-day visit. Signage is not good on the site, so you may want to look up some info before going. There is an audio guide, however. I used the "Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide", my usual bible. The ticket is good for two days and can be combined with entrance to the Tomb of Caecilia Metella (I used it the next day for this), and also the Baths of Caracalla.

To return to Rome, simply catch the bus on the opposite site of the road from where you alighted, and retrace your steps. (Or you can get off the bus one stop earlier and get on the metro there, equally easy....just get off when you see the "M" metro symbol.)

Next up: A long Sunday walk on the Via Appia Antica

Thanks for this--as usual, you have uncovered places I've never heard of, so much more out there to discover! Interested to see the next installment

Thanks -- it wasn't the most gorgeous day, unfortunately. However, the site was very pretty in late May with poppies everywhere:

Thanks cruisemom! Two more places to add to my list of places to go on my next trip!!! Poppies can make any place better ;)

I enjoyed reading this post.

Thank you.

Keith

Thanks -- I haven't forgotten the second half, but have had some issues with uploading photos. :o

On Sunday, the old Appian Way (Appia Antica, as opposed to the new road, Appia Nuova) is closed to most traffic. The plan was to take public transportation out to the 6th milestone on the old Roman road and walk back toward Rome as far as the third milestone. This part alone makes for about a three-mile walk -- I say "about" three miles because a Roman mile is shorter than our modern ones.

However, due to not trusting my own research more than the local bus driver's instructions, there was probably close to another mile of walking to reach the road from where HE insisted was the best stop!

Here are the CORRECT directions: Take the Metro (linea A) to Colli Albani. Take bus #664 in the same direction as noted above for Villa dei Quintili but stay on it longer. You will get off immediately after it makes a left turn from Via Capannelle onto Via Appia Nuova. (The stop is Fermata Capannelle/Appia Nuova) then walk down Via di Casale Rotondo to reach the Appia Antica (see the sign below that marks the starting point of the walk).

Note that on Sunday the #664 bus only runs about every 25 minutes.

At any rate, between the extra distance walked at beginning and end, it was probably about 4 miles, and walking on the road itself isn't always easy. Sections of it are still paved with the huge old Roman paving stones; some sections are paved with the usual smaller diamond-shaped stones used on the Roman streets in the historic center. There are sidewalks of a sort, but be warned that there are a lot of bicyclists who regard those as their rightful path (since they cannot ride on the big stones) and they are fairly aggressive. So -- wear sturdy shoes, bring water and some snacks, and enjoy!

The start of the walk:

The part of the Appia Antica (farther out than the catacombs) is lovely, with many Roman tombs lining the roads in various stages of preservation. A larger circular tomb (Casal Rotondo) marked the 6th mile. In medieval times, a house was built on top of it and it is still there today:

There are good long stretches of the ancient road, and with the absence of modern traffic, you almost feel that you've gone back in time. If you look closely, you'll see the occasional rut in the stones from long-past ancient carts:

You'll see plenty of tombs -- most of them have been stripped of their outer covering so that only the stone or cement core remains. This photo shows typical remains of a Roman tomb with decorative statue in front:

You'll also see the occasional "restored" tomb, like this one, with portraits carved of the deceased. Burial along the Appian Way was highly desirable in ancient Rome, because the road was so busy and there were many passers-by to see and admire your fancy tomb:

Along the way, there is a Visitors Center called Capo di Bove where some Roman baths have been excavated fairly recently. There are nice restrooms available here for free and some limited information and displays about the Appia Antica:

Another pleasant length of road after Capo di Bove and you will reach the grand tomb of Caecilia Metella, the largest tomb on this part of the Appian Way and still in very good shape.

At this point, my walk ended. You could of course continue the walk toward Rome on Via Appia, but the rest of the way is more commercialized and I had done parts of it before.

Instead, after stopping to look inside the Metella tomb (using the same ticket from yesterday's visit to the Villa dei Quintili), I continued walking in the direction of Rome toward the next cross street (Pignatelli), made a right on it, and found the bus stop after about a half block for bus #118 which returns you to Rome. I alighted at the Circo Massimo metro station and took the metro back toward Termini (where my hotel was).

If you do this walk in the morning (I set out from Termini around 8:30), you'll arrive at the Caecilia Metella tomb around lunchtime, and there are several pleasant restaurants in the vicinity if you want to enjoy a meal. Also, three of the famous catacombs are quite nearby.

Although as you can see from my photos, the weather was gray, it wasn't unpleasant and made for a cooler (and probably less crowded) walk. I think taking transportation to the farthest point and walking back toward Rome works better than doing it the other way, but of course you can reverse what I did easily.

There is a lot of info available here: http://www.parcoappiaantica.it/en/testi.asp?l1=1&l2=3&l3=1&l4=0

I'm happy to answer any questions -- Enjoy your visit to Rome!

Thanks so much for posting this. If I ever get back to Rome this may be high on the list and your photos and descriptions are very helpful.

Thank you for posting this. Truly interesting, in-depth, Rome tips. Rome is overwhelming and even though we spent a week there, we only scratched the surface of this amazing city. I love Rome as it brings my school Latin & Roman history classes to life.

I have bookmarked this page. Can you recommend a good book that covers the main ancient, historical features of this magnificent city? Thanks again, Ken.

Thank you for posting this. Truly interesting, in-depth, Rome tips. Rome is overwhelming and even though we spent a week there, we only scratched the surface of this amazing city. I love Rome as it brings my school Latin & Roman history classes to life.

 

I have bookmarked this page. Can you recommend a good book that covers the main ancient, historical features of this magnificent city? Thanks again, Ken.

Thank you. :)

My Rome "bible" so to speak has always been the Oxford Archaeological Guide for Rome. It has a wealth of information on even the lesser sites. (Although I found it a little slim on the Appian Way stretch covered in my post, except for the Villa dei Quintili, which was covered nicely.)

If you want a slightly more Italian take, Filippo Coarelli's excellent Rome and Environs (translated into English) is also a good choice and features some site plans and maps that are very helpful.

Thanks for posting your photos. Truly fascinating to realize the Roman infrastructure had held up for thousands of years.

Thanks so much for this, Cynthia. This walk is on my bucket list. Appreciate the info and pics!

Thanks, cruisemom42, for the wonderful posts! Funny story: a few years back my husband & I were heading to the Appian Way for the first time. Wanting to make sure I was on the right bus, I said something to the effect of "this bus goes near the Tomb of Caecilia, right?" (American pronunciation with I'm sure a southern drawl:>). He had no idea what I was talking about, so I showed him on our guide map. And he just looked at me, exasperated and hands waving, and said, "Che-chill-ee-ah!" It was so funny....

Thanks again!

Thanks, cruisemom42, for the wonderful posts! Funny story: a few years back my husband & I were heading to the Appian Way for the first time. Wanting to make sure I was on the right bus, I said something to the effect of "this bus goes near the Tomb of Caecilia, right?" (American pronunciation with I'm sure a southern drawl:>). He had no idea what I was talking about, so I showed him on our guide map. And he just looked at me, exasperated and hands waving, and said, "Che-chill-ee-ah!" It was so funny....

 

Thanks again!

Funny!

On my first trip to Italy I was put straight by a guide -- we went to visit the Chigi Chapel. I had been pronouncing it as "Chee-gee" and found out to my mortification that it is actually pronounced "Key-jee". :o

I have to say it was a little frustrating that both of the bus drivers (Saturday and Sunday) on my Appian Way adventure seemed woefully unaware of the names of various stops on their route and the (in some cases pretty major) monuments nearby!

Thanks so much for this, especially your detailed directions!

Definitely on my list for next year.