This post continues the chronicles of Steve Bridge’s class trip to Rome.
Today we walked through the beautiful Caffarella Valley in the morning and along the ancient Via Appia road in the afternoon. The Caffarella Valley is located between the Via Appia and the Via Latina, and is located near the Aurelian Walls. In the 16th century, a big farm was built in the valley, which was owned by the Caffarelli Family (hence its name). Today, the valley is preserved as part of the Appia Antica National Park. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife and flowers, which we saw during our stroll through the area. The valley hosts a bird blind overlooking a wetlands, where we scoped out the aviary action from a peaceful little hut. Some of the birds we saw included parrots, several different types of ducks, hawks, and a hoopoe. I was especially excited about the great photos I was able to get of the parrots and the hoopoe.
We had hoped to see hedgehogs, as they live in the parks as well, but no such luck. However, we did see a lot of colorful lizards scurrying about.
We stopped at the information center for lunch, and then walked a long stretch of the Via Appia.
Along the way, we many ruins of castles, tombs, and even an ancient chariot race track.
The Via Appia dates back to 300 BC, and in the older sections of the road you can still see the ruts in the stones carved from the metal wheels of the Roman chariots that once used them.
As Dr. Bridge reminded us, this was the very same road that Saint Paul once walked upon when he was brought to Rome as a prisoner of the state.
Overall, this was a beautiful and tranquil trip through the Roman countryside, and a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Submitted by: Aprille Hibbard