While I was unable to bike far enough to see them, about 40 miles along the ancient road are famous ruins of a former restaurant: Tre Taverne. Tre Taverne means "three taverns or bars". I imagine travelers stopping at Tre Taverne for wine and bread after a long day of travel.There are also temples along the road, which were most likely created for travelers to worship while far away from home.
One archeological site I was able to visit during my ride was the Capo di Bove or "head of the ox." Capo di Bove used to be a villa, a large home, and it had its own thermal bath. The Romans loved their thermal baths, which were large baths where many people bathed at the same time. Archeologists believe that the villa and baths were owned by a Roman senator by the name of Herodes Atticus.
Based on what I saw in the ruins, it did not seem like too many people lived nearby Appia Antica permanently Even people like Herodes Atticus had homes close to the road, they seemed to live there for only part of the year. It was similar to how some people have a summer or vacation home in another part of the U.S.!
People also faced many challenges using this road. The road begins about a 30-minute bus ride from the center of Rome, and as you travel on it, you get further and further away from the main city. Imagine for someone from 300BCE, this would mean getting further and further away from civilization!
