7/27/2019 A Park Unlike Any Other

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A PARKUNLIKE ANY

OTHER

PARCOREGIONALEDELLAPPIAANTICA

ROMA

PARCOREGIONALEDELLAPPIAANTICA

The Park of the AppiaAntica has beendeclared protected since

1988. Its 3,500 hectaresinclude the first 16 Km of theancient consular road (fromPorta San Sebastiano to theintersection with Via AppiaNuova in Frattocchie); theCaffarella Valley; the

archaeological area of theTombs of the Via Latina; thearea adjacent to the ViaTuscolana hosting the remainsof seven Roman aqueductsdating back to the Republicanand Imperial age, with thegreen area of Tor Fiscale, and

the two large rural estates ofTormarancia and Farnesiana.Thanks to decades of battleswaged by citizens andenvironmentalists, thisterritorial system -unparalleled in the world interms of its historical-archaeological and landscapevalue - was placed under asingle integrated protectionsystem.A green wedge, the Parkreaches to the city centre, and,being contiguous with theAlban Hills, it represents abiological corridor fornumerous animal species;moreover, the Park haspreserved parts of Romancountryside and coppices andgroves.In addition to these values, thePark contains historical andarchaeological remains of great

importance. The Parktherefore serves the purpose ofpreserving a set of generalvalues resulting from thecomplex and uniquerelationship between natureand man, between the culturalheritage and landscape.

Sede del ParcoVia Appia Antica 42

GRA

GRA

ViaA

ppiaAntica

PortaS. Sebastiano

Tenutadi Tormarancia Acquedotti

e Tor Fiscale

Valle dellaCaffarela

Tenuta dellaFarnesiana

Villa dei Quintili

Catacombedi S. Callisto

Catacombedi S. Sebastiano

Circo diMassenzio

SepolcriIV e V miglio

Casal Rotondo

Torre Selce

ViaTuscolana

Via

Appia

Nuova

218118 Colli Albani

76587660

ViaArde

atina

Subaugusta160

660

765

218

Sede del Parco

118

ViaTuscolana

ViaA

p

piaNuova

i

i

i

i

i

Frattocchie

i

Tomba diCecilia Metella

i

HOW TO REACH THE PARK

Every sunday and on holidays thewhole area of the Park (3.400hectares), is closed to private trafficand it thus becomes Rome's biggestpedestrian zone. Don't miss thechance to spend a whole day in oneof the world's most beautiful

landscapes, featuring archaeologicalmonuments and museums as well asnature trails, either on foot or with abike.The park's territory allows you toorganise your visit in many differentways. Leave your car and come tothe Park on foot, by bike, or by bus.We are waiting for you!

INFORMATIONANDSERVICES

Incollaborationwithenvironmentalorganisationswhichhavealwaysbeenactivelyinvolvedinprotectingthisarea,theParkorganisesaprogrammeoffreeguidedtourswhichareheldeverySundayinSpringandAutumn.Guidedtoursforgroupsmay alsobeorganisedduring

weekdaysonrequest.InformationontheParksactivitiesandroutesare

providedeverySundaytovisitorsattheParksInformationDesks,andeverydayattheParksmainoffice.Abicyclerentalserviceisalsoavailable.

Forfurtherinformation,call+39065135316fromMondaystoFridays, orcontactusat

info@parcoappiaantica.it

www.parcoappiaantica.it

7/27/2019 A Park Unlike Any Other

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THE APPIA ANTICAROAD AXIS

Along the 16 Kmfrom Porta SanSebastiano toFrattocchie, visitors willmeet an extraordinaryseries of monumentsdating back to theRoman period (such asthe Circus of Maxentius,the Tomb of CeciliaMetella, to mention themost famous ones) aswell as to the Christian

era (as the Catacombs ofSan Callisto and SanSebastiano), as well asunique views, as theytake a journey acrosshistory that will not failto amaze them. Visitorsmay follow this route bystages or all at once, onfoot or by bicycle, orhopping on and off theArcheobus. A journeyfollowing in the footstepsof the ancient Romans,and treading on theremains of the ancientstone paving whichcovered the road, fromtomb to tomb, fromtower to tower, to reachthe territories of themunicipalities ofCiampino and Marino.

THE CAFFARELLAVALLEY

The Caffarella Valleyreflects the historyof Rome: the city, itsculture, the people wholived in it, and theterritory in which theysettled. Preserved fromoverbuilding thanks tothe long battle waged bythe residents andenvironmentalists, thevalley is adjacent to the

Wall of Aurelian, and isenclosed by the twomain roads of antiquity,the Via Latina and theVia Appia. The Valleybecame the backdrop toseveral myths andlegends, possibly thanksto the gentle hillsnaturally enclosing this

space, and no doubt dueto the presence of theAlmone river, a smalltributary of the Tiber,held to be sacred by theRomans. A walk in theCaffarella Valley affordsan exciting adventure ina unique area, amongsigns of Roman history,grazing sheep, springs,holm-oak and pubescentoak woods, alternatingwith vast pastures, in atypical Romancountryside landscape.

THE TOMBSOF VIA LATINA

Along the Via Latina,the second greatroad in Roman times, animportant archaeologicalsite is located. It featurespart of the originalpaving of the road, withlarge funerarymonuments on its sides,such as the tombs of theValerii and the Pancratii,in which invaluablestucco and frescodecorations may beadmired. The area wasuncovered thanks toLorenzo Fortunati who,between 1857 and1858, at his ownexpense, carried outexcavations which werethen completed by PopePius IX. At thebeginning of thetwentieth century,following a restorationcampaign directed byRodolfo Lanciani, thearea became anarchaeological park.

THE AQUEDUCTS ANDTOR FISCALE

Enclosed by the

districts of Cinecitt,Appio Claudio andQuarto Miglio, in theVia Appia Nuova,crossed by the ViaLatina, the Aqueductarea is what remains ofa portion of Romancountryside that onceconnected the Alban

Hills to the city gates.An area of 15 hectares,it was purchased by theMunicipality andincluded in the RegionalPark system. A realcrossroads for the cityswater distributionsystem, it was namedafter the imposingremains of the aqueductsystem that madeRoman engineering featsfamous over thecenturies. Ancient Pinetrees, ruins of ancient

suburban villas such asthat of Vignacce andSette Bassi, give the areaa unique and evocativeappearance. In the smallgreen area of TorFiscale, the mushroombeds located in thequarries and in thegalleries dug into thelava flows coming fromthe Alban Hills, stillbeing used today, maybe visited. Over the arearises the middle-agetower called the tower ofthe Fiscale (PapalTreasurer) or of St. John,which had been built tocheck on the incomingflow of water and itsquality, and onsouthbound trade.

TORMARANCIA

The name of thisestate probablyderives from that ofAmaranthus, afreedman of theNumisii Procurii, anoble Roman familywho lived in the area.The towers scattered allover the Romancountryside, built fordefence and watchpurposes, were often

named after thefamilies who owned theproperty on which theywere erected.Since antiquity, thefertile soil of volcanicorigin and the presenceof water made this areaideal for farming.Similarly to what

happened in theCaffarella Valley,Tormarancia wasprotected fromoverbuilding thanks toa long battle waged bycitizens andenvironmentalists. Itwas only in 2002 thatthe rural estate becamea part of the RegionalPark. Most of theestate is still owned byprivate citizens, andmay therefore only bevisited on the occasion

of the guided toursorganised by the Park.

FARNESIANA

Virtually unknownalso to those livingin the area, theFarnesiana estateextends over some 200

hectares locatedbetween the ViaArdeatina and the ViaAppia Antica. Althoughnot very large, it hostsa range of differentenvironments,especiallyarchaeological andhistorical sites, fromsettlements dating backto the Roman age suchas country dwellingsand suburban villas, toMedieval defencesystems, among the

latter the mostimportant being theruins of the Castello diZampa di Bove. Interms of its landscape,the Farnesiana estate issimilar to the TorMarancia estate, thetwo being separatedonly by the Via

Ardeatina. Of theextensive wood thatonce covered it, todayonly the Farnese groveis extant. Althoughsmall, it is important asbeing a patch of mixedforest, quite unique inthe Appia Antica park.The plant species ithosts are typicallyMediterranean.Characteristic elementsof the Farnesiana estateare its five historicalfarmsteads dating back

to the 18th and 19thcentury. The estate iscurrently owned byprivate citizens, and itmay only be visited onthe occasion of guidedtours periodicallyorganised by the ParkBoard in collaborationwith the WWF.

GUIDED SIGHTSEEN ROUTES

IN THE APPIA ANTICA PARK

ON FOOT OR BY BICYCLE

Tours ar guided by experienced naturalistsand archaeologists of Darwin Cooperativewww.cooperativadarwin.it which is involvedin management services of the InformationPoint of the Appia Antica Regional Park since2002.Tours can be made (in 4 speaking language:English, Spanish, German, French) by bicycleor on foot, for groups of at least 12 people.

Guided tours on foot costs 8 euros per per-son, the cost for guided tours on bike is 12

euros per person and includes bicycle rentaland a guide.

Bookings are essential, and can be made byfax at 06-5135316 or by e-mail at puntoap-pia@parcoappiaantica.it.

INFO POINT

APPIA ANTICA

Information and GadgetAt the Information Point of the Appia AnticaPark you can hire a bike every day and takeall the free brochures you need to plan yourarchaeological itinerary or natural route.We also have information about openinghours, prices and tickets of the mainarchaeological sites in the area.We sell gadget and books about the AppiaAntica Park and other protected naturalareas inside Regione Lazio

Bicycle Hiring

We have bikes for all ages, seat for children,safety helmets and security lock for yourrides along the Appia Antica ParkPrice: 3,00/hour for the first three hours 10,00 for 4 hours or the all day(bicycle must be returned before the closingtime of the info point)

Opening TimesThe Info Point is open every day except 15August, 25 December and 1 January.Monday - Saturday: 9.30 am - 1.30 pm, 2.00pm to 5.30 pm 5.30 pm (4.30 pm in winter)Sunday and Holydays: 9.30 am to 5.30 pm(4.30 pm in winter)

Call: +39 06 5135316puntoappia@parcoappiaantica.it

www.parcoappiaantica.it