Appia Road Segment 12

From TERRACINA (Tarracina) to FONDI (Fundi) from NORTH

Three alternative itineraries should be illustrated for this trunk:

1) the first from the North: this is the one that crosses the ancient town of Terracina (Tarracina) from door to door.

2) the second from the North: this is a small variant, let us call it a ring road, which avoids entering and leaving the city gates.

3) the third from the South: it is the actual variant (see Segment 26 – Variant 1) of Trajan’s  Emperor (98-117 AD) built in 110 AD.

With the first itinerary 
we enter through the “Porta Maggiore” (Porta Major) further inland than the current “Porta Romana” and reach the historic centre with the remains of a temple and the Forum, still well paved, and forming the “Piazza del Municipio“ overlooked by the built Cathedral on the ancient Capitolium (*).

From the exit gate, the road climbs Mount Sant’ Angelo to pass behind the temple of Jupiter Anxur and reach the Lautulae pass and then descend towards Fondi (Fundi) on the adjacent slope (photo 1 and photo 2).

This section is worth a visit for the grandiose panorama that can be enjoyed from the so-called “Piazza dei Paladini” (*) over the gulf of Sperlonga.

The square built on a grandiose embankment, consists of an artificial widening of 22 metres in diameter to allow wayfarers and horses to rest.

With the second itinerary
we avoid the town by a route that is hardly recognisable today, following the “Via della Madonna della Delibera”.

At the confluence of the itineraries from the north and south we find a semicircular building with a long seat almost built on purpose to make the wayfarer reflect on the work that has been carried out.

Continuing on we find an Epitaph (*) of the Bourbonic government (*) indicating the border between the Church State (*) and the Kingdom of Naples (*).

Just before reaching Fondi (Fundi) we find the grandiose sepulchre known as of the “Emperor Galba” (68-69 AD).

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in glossary.