Appian Way

Appian Way , Lat. Via Appia, most famous of the Roman roads , built (312 BC) under Appius Claudius Caecus. It connected Rome with Capua and was later extended to Beneventum (now Benevento), Tarentum (Taranto), and Brundisium (Brindisi). It was the chief highway to Greece and the East. Its total length was more than 350 mi (563 km). The substantial construction of cemented stone blocks has preserved it to the present. Branch roads led to Neapolis (Naples), Barium (Bari), and other ports. On the first stretch of road out of Rome are interesting tombs and the Church of St. Sebastian with its catacombs. In 1784, Pope Pius VI built the new Appian Way from Rome to Albano, parallel with the old.

Appian Way the principal road southward from Rome in classical times, named after the censor Appius Claudius Caecus, who in 312 bc built the section to Capua; it was later extended to Brindisi.

Appian Way The road to Rome from Puteoli where Paul disembarked (Acts 28: 13); 70 km. (40 miles) south of Rome on the road was the Forum of Appius, where a party of Roman Christians welcomed Paul.