APPIAN WAY and VILLA DEI QUINTILI - Rome Italy
Wanting to escape the heat and people in Rome, we discovered that there was horse riding tours approximately 10kms from the centre of Rome. We booked a 2 hour tour and enjoyed the ride through history among the cool leafy tree lined road that dates back 2400 years.
When they say all roads lead to Rome this is the one where it all began.
When they say all roads lead to Rome this is the one where it all began.
The Ride
As stated on their website 'This walk sets out from the stables and follows the ancient Appian Way, lined with Roman monuments on both side of the road and eventually, just beyond the 5th milestone, reaches the magnificent remains of an immense Roman villa built by two wealthy brothers, the Quintilis, in the time of Hadrian.
The villa, with its thermal baths, private aqueduct and hippodrome was so fabulous that the emperor of the time, emperor Commodus, was envious and had the Quintili brothers put to death and took the villa for himself!'
As stated on their website 'This walk sets out from the stables and follows the ancient Appian Way, lined with Roman monuments on both side of the road and eventually, just beyond the 5th milestone, reaches the magnificent remains of an immense Roman villa built by two wealthy brothers, the Quintilis, in the time of Hadrian.
The villa, with its thermal baths, private aqueduct and hippodrome was so fabulous that the emperor of the time, emperor Commodus, was envious and had the Quintili brothers put to death and took the villa for himself!'
(Tony & I out on our ride)
The Ruins
After we rode around the perimeters of the villa on our horses, I incidently rode a lovely 17 Hand high white horse called 'White' ( rather obvious naming) the other was a lovely mare named 'Zorro' (not sure who named these horses but they were well kept, and trained) you detour on horseback from the villa, through the nearby BASALTO quarries on the way home.
These quarries, which they jokingly call “Little Grand Canyon” are actually where, 2000 years ago, the slaves obtained the rocks to cut the cobbles used to pave Appian Way. The deep passageway has also become a refuge for many species of birds and small animals, especially goats and can become a litlle lake during the winter months.
The Verdict
The most enjoyable way to see ruins, and spend a couple of hours, stress free away form the hordes of people in Rome.
You can book from 1 hour to 1/2 days including lunch riding tours, with levels from beginners to experienced. This riding tour has only been running since April 2015 but it is well done and becoming quite popular.
If you would love to try this go to www.ridingancientrome.it
3 comments:
I can see I am really going to enjoy this blog. Clare Maxfield - not sure how to attach my name here and didn't want to remain anonymous :)
What a great tip and a lovely way to see the sights!
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to ride or wants to see the ruins in a different way.
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