Via Appia Antica

Near Albano Laziale, south of Rome: the first of the great highways by which the Romans secured their military and administrative grip on Italy, and the precursor of the network which was later built throughout the Empire. Initiated by Appius Claudius Caecus in 312 B.C., it linked Rome with the port of Brundisium (Brindisi) in southeastern Italy. (Boardman, 1986)