This Queen of Roads, "Regina Viarium," was the most important of the extensive network of roads that traversed the Roman Empire, a masterful feat of engineering that made possible Roman control of a vast area by allowing for the efficient transport of armies and commercial goods. Completed in 312 BC by Appius Claudius, the road was ancient Europe's first highway, connecting Rome with Brindisi, 584 km (365 mi) away on the Adriatic coast. Today part of the route still exists (as Via Appia, SS7), but most of it is a paved, modern highway. The stretch indicated here is the opposite: closed to traffic, the ancient roadway passes through grassy fields and shady groves and by the villas of movie stars (Marcello Mastroianni and Gina Lollobrigida had homes here) and other VIPs. This part is still paved with the ancient basoli (basalt stones) over which the Romans drove their carriages. Taverns, houses, temples, and tombs flanked the ancient road, and the occasional lone statue, crumbling wall, or column is still visible, draped in ivy or alone in a patch of wildflowers. Pick a sunny day for your visit, wear comfortable shoes, and bring a bottle of water. San Callisto is one of the best preserved of the underground catacombs. A friar will guide you through its crypts and galleries. Via Appia Antica 110, Via Appia Antica, Rome, Italy, PHONE: 06/51301580; COST: EUR5; OPEN: Mar.-Jan., Thurs.-Tues. 8:30-noon and 2:30-5:30.

The 4th-century San Sebastiano catacomb, named for the saint who was buried here, burrows underground on four levels. The only one of the catacombs to remain accessible during the Middle Ages, it's the origin of the term "catacomb," for it was in a spot where the road dips into a hollow, a place the Romans called catacumbas ("near the hollow"). Eventually the Christian cemetery that had existed here since the 2nd century came to be known by the same name, which was applied to all underground cemeteries discovered in Rome in later centuries. Via Appia Antica 136, Rome, Italy, PHONE: 06/7850350; COST: EUR5; OPEN: Mid-Nov.-mid-Oct., Mon.-Sat. 8:30-noon and 2:30-5:30.

On the east side of Via Appia Antica are the ruins of the Circo di Massenzio, where the obelisk now in Piazza Navona once stood. Via Appia Antica 153, Rome, Italy, PHONE: 06/7801324; COST: EUR3; OPEN: Oct.-Mar., Tues.-Sun. 9-5; Apr.-Sept., Tues.-Sun. 9-7.

The circular Tomba di Cecilia Metella, the mausoleum of a Roman noblewoman who lived at the time of Julius Caesar, was transformed into a fortress in the 14th century. The tomb houses a small museum with sculptures from the Via Appia Antica and an interesting reconstruction of the area's geological and historical past. Via Appia Antica 161, Rome, Italy, PHONE: 06/78021465 or 06/39967700; www.pierreci.it; COST: EUR2; OPEN: Mon.-Sat. 9-1:30 and 2:30-7.