Marilena Barberi of DMC Italy with Class offers an alternative route for your Roman holiday: cycling down the fabled Appian Way.  

Of all the treasures in Rome, what makes this so special? 
Venturing down the Old Appian Way is Rome’s most rewarding outdoors experience. Built in the 4th Century BC, this consular road ran from Rome’s city walls to Brindisi in the south. Because burial within the ancient city was forbidden, the road was gradually lined with tombs, becoming prime post-mortem real estate for ancient Rome’s rich and famous.  

Cycling down the Via Appia Antica today, you feel like you have been transported back in time 2,000 years. The scenery is simply breathtaking: open fields stretch out towards the hills in the distance, tombs and villas line its cobbled stones, and, if you pick the right day, you will encounter an entirely different form of Roman traffic in the form of the Appian Way’s hundreds of wild goats. 

When is the best time for newcomers to visit? 
Sunday is the best day for a cycle down the Appian Way. Apart from locals going bike-riding, jogging, or dog-walking, you’ll have the ancient road entirely to yourself. Its umbrella pines and cypress trees provide ample shade from the Italian sun, and the many villas and ruins along the way offer a seductive refuge for a picnic lunch. 

If you venture just a little further down the Via Appia Antica, your fatigue will be rewarded when you reach La Fattoria di Fiorano. Owned by the Antinori and Boncompagni Ludovisi families, this quaint farmstead is an idyllic rural retreat for an indulgent country lunch. Everything is sourced directly from the estate, and its Fiorano wine, produced in its fertile vineyards, has been awarded as the best wine in the region.  

Do you have any special related memories? 
The first time I visited La Fattoria di Fiorano was in October this year. They happened to be hosting a harvest event: “Fiorano for Kids,” in which children pick the grapes and learn about country life. The event culminated in a delicious rustic lunch prepared by one of Rome’s foremost Michelin chefs, and all proceeds were donated to the children’s hospital “Bambin Gesu.” 

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