Do you know Via Appia Antica in Rome? I guess so. But do you also know that you can find some remains of ancient Rome?
Let’s start the tour from the Villa di Massenzio. It is part of the circuit “Musei di Roma” and, within the circuit, is part of the museums with free admission. The villa complex consists of three buildings: the palace, the circus of Maxentius and the dynastic mausoleum. Unfortunately, near the various areas of the villa, there are no explanations about what visitors are watching: I recommend, therefore, to carefully read the plaque at the entrance of the site to have at least a general smattering! The villa is open from Tuesday to Sunday, during the winter from 10 to 16 and in summer from 10 to 18. Do not get confused with the Basilica of Maxentius: that is located inside the Roman forum (on the Palatine) facing onto via dei Fori Imperiali, while this is the villa.
If you are visiting Rome and you like to ride a bike, the City Pass Roma includes a bike ride along the Via Appia Antica (if you buy it, then let me know how you are with a comment on this post).
Continuing along Via Appia Antica, precisely next to the villa, there is the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella: this is certainly the symbol of Via Appia Antica and, even in name, many of us know. The whole ticket costs 6 euros, the reduced one 3, it’s valid for seven days and allows you to visit the Baths of Caracalla and the Villa dei Quintili. I preferred to continue the walk and not go to visit it: I will return a weekend where I can visit all three places included in the admission ticket, the Baths of Caracalla and the Villa dei Quintili (two places I saw when I was little, and I remember very little of both).
Precisely in front of the mausoleum, it’s located the Church of San Nicola a Capo di Bove. You can’t enter it, but you can spot the intern from a window! This is a deconsecrated small church, with a single nave. Nowadays nothing remains except the walls and the apse. This small church is famous because it is one of the rare examples of sacred gothic of the city of Rome. Both the façade and the interiors are very simple; the walls are smooth. Looking at the façade, on the left, we can also see what remains of what once was the church’s bell tower.
Walking along Via Appia Antica without any detour along the side streets, the last place of tourist interest is Capo di Bove, an ancient manor that probably belonged to Herod Atticus (and his wife Annia Regilla) in the second century AD. Admission is free, and inside there is a spa (located a few tens of meters from the entrance) and a villa (which, however, honestly, I did not understand how to reach). Fascinating is the small exhibition that shows the evolution of modern housing around Via Appia Antica and other interesting facts of history (the remains of ancient Rome arrived until nowadays).