Rome, Italy: The Colosseum - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite

Constructed in 312 BC, the Appian Way — Rome's gateway to the East — was the grandest and fastest road yet. It stretched 400 miles to Naples and then on to Brindisi, from where Roman ships sailed to Greece and Egypt. As you stroll or bike along the road, you'll see tombs of ancient big shots that line the way like billboards. While pagans didn't enjoy the promise of salvation, those who could afford it purchased a kind of immortality by building themselves big and glitzy memorials. (Rick Steves'