The Appian Way was the road which, in antiquity, hosted the encounter between the Roman culture and the Greek culture and which, in the Middle Ages, with several variations, became the route of European pilgrims to the Holy Land.

For centuries, people, goods, ideas and beliefs travelled intensely along this route, thus spreading culture and civilization throughout the Mediterranean, until oblivion in the beginning of the modern era.

The walk that Paolo Rumiz and his companions undertook two years ago, covered the forgotten route of this old road. The journey triggered a virtuous process by bringing attention to what was being done to restore the first European road to the Country: retracing its course, while discovering and valorizing it. An intense work done by different departments on the territory, concrete actions which led to the birth of the Archaeological Park of the Old Appian Way and to the allocation of the resources of the Interministerial Economic Planning Committee CIPE for the valorization of the ancient route.

The Regina Viarum joins areas rich in an extraordinary cultural, natural, landscape heritage, offers a unique archaeological heritage and has the characteristics to become a route along which aware and curious travellers can give life to a tourism that may lead the sustainable growth of the territory. It is our duty to use all of our resources for this project, which has the merit of aiming at culture in order to promote the economical and the social development ofthe south.

Dario Franceschini

Minister of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Torusim