CarrieAnn40

My 21yo son and I fly into Rome from the UK, on Sunday 14th May, landing 12.40. We'll taxi to our accommodation close to Campo De Fiori and would hope to be there by about 14.30, if all goes to plan.

Ideally, I'd like to get out to the Appian Way whilst it's closed to traffic. Realistically, getting a taxi, is a couple of hours time for a worthwhile visit, enough to walk a bit and visit one or two tombs, to get a feel? If so, is the closest taxi rank at Largo Argentina and about how much should it be? Also, what about returning, do taxis wait in that area?

If this isn't a sensible idea timewise, and I realise that you could, and maybe should, dedicate most of a day to this, or the plane is late, plan B is to explore the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Loyola Church etc

Also, are the little electric buses still running in the centre? Are Uber operational at the moment, does anyone know?

Thanks

bvlenci

The best known tomb on the Via Appia Antica is the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella. You could have the taxi drop you off there; half an hour would be plenty of time to see all there is to see there. Then you could walk south and see tombs on both sides of the road for several kilometres. There are no informative signs, so you should go prepared with information. Here is a web site in Italian, which has photos and descriptions of the tombs. If you paste the URL into translate.google.com you'll get a decent translation.

http://www.romasegreta.it/rubriche/v...ia-antica.html

The tomb of the Scipios would be really worth seeing, but it's only open to groups with a guide. Here are two sites, one more
complete, in Italian, and a less complete one, in English.


http://Www.060608.ithttp://www.sovra...degli_scipioni

http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-sv...-scipioni.html

bvlenci

The first link should be:

http://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/i_...degli_scipioni

To get back to Campo de'Fiori, you could take the number 118 bus, which stops all along the Via Appia Antica, and goes all the way to central Rome, with stops near Campo de'Fiori. Buy your return ticket (from a tobacco shop) before leaving central Rome. I don't know if there's a taxi stand on the Via Appia Antica. I've always gone by bus.

CarrieAnn40

Thank you, bvlenci, that's really useful information.

MmePerdu

Having taken a bus that stops a bit off the AW, on a Sunday, I think with the taxi it would be very worthwhile in the time you have. However, rather than walk south, I suggest you have your taxi drop you farther south and walk north. My starting point was from where Via di Tor Carbone & Via Erode Attico meet the AW would be a logical point to have your cab drop you. Possibly finish at the tourist information point at the northern end of the closed portion and get a bus from there, or at any bus stop along the way if you run out of time. That would make your time frame very flexible.

CarrieAnn40

So as long as the plane is about on time, a visit to the Appian Way is looking good timewise.

Thanks for your helpful input, MmePerdu.

CarrieAnn40

I thought I'd follow up with what happened on Sunday. We arrived early so we're in a taxi before 2.30. Unfortunately he didn't understand where I wanted to go which was where Mme Perdu recommended as a starting point, nor did he know those roads nor have a sat nav so he dropped us at the taxi rank in Piazza Venezia.

The next taxi drive got it and had a sat nav so we got there. It cost €23. We turned round and there was Ancient Rome! Perfect. We walked and walked. It turned out to be Appia Day so it was free entry / donation to the tombs. We visited the Mausoleum of Cecelia Metella, which bvlenci recommended, the huge site next door, I think, going north and shot into the museum of St Sebastian Catacombs as it was closing.

We queued for the 118 bus which turned up packed solid. Luckily there was room for another 30 or so... There wasn't a chance of validating the tickets so I was on edge for 20 mins until enough people got off so you could find the machine. Even then I still couldn't get to it and someone did them for me.

Very happy to have started where we did, esp on foot - it is lovely a bit further out. Happy with what we saw. Thank you for helping us get the best experience in the time available.

MmePerdu

CarrieAnn, so glad to hear back from you. I thought it was just about a perfect place to start and such a surprise to find such an ancient & idyllic walk so close to the city. I imagined myself a Roman soldier marching home from patrolling the empire, almost there. Now I want to do it again!

kybourbon

>>>Also, are the little electric buses still running in the centre? <<<

After they stopped these buses, they still appeared on their bus map for a long time. If you searched the particular bus number though, they wouldn't show a schedule. Now it appears the 117 is running again although it might be seasonal (goes from San Giovanni in Laterano, to Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo). The 116 no longer seems to even be on the map (it's route through the historic center was from the Vatican to Villa Borghese).