The Via Valeria was an ancient Roman road of Italy, the continuation north-eastwards of the Via Tiburtina from Tibur. It probably owed its origin to Marcus Valerius Messalla, censor in 154 BC. [1] A second Via Valeria, the Via Valeria of Sicily, connected Messina and Siracusa on the island of Sicily.
It ran first up the Anio Valley past Varia, and then leaving the Anio at the 36th mile, where the Via Sublacensis joined it, ascended to Carsoli and to the lofty pass of Monte Bove, whence it descended again to the valley occupied by the Lake Fucino in Roman times. It is doubtful whether, before Claudius, the Via Valeria ran farther than Cerfennia, the eastern point of the territory of the Marsi, to the northeast of Lake Fucino. Strabo states that in his day it went as far as Corfinium, and this important place must have been accessible from Rome, but probably beyond Cerfennia only by a track. [2] [3] [4]
At the Roman statio ad Lamnas (at Cineto Romano), it split into two routes, the Valeria vetus and Valeria nova, which reunited near Riofreddo. [5] [6] The vetus was older as it was a military road that later became a more difficult shortcut when the nova became the longer but easier main road. [7]
On the prolongation beyond Cerfennia, a milestone (Corp. Inscr. Lat. IX. 5973) states that in 48-49 AD Claudius made the Via Claudia Valeria from Cerfennia to the mouth of the Aternus (the site of modern Pescara). This difficult part of the road to the valley of the Aternus involved a drop of nearly 300 m and the crossing of the main ridge of the Apennines by the modern Forca Caruso. From Popoli, the road followed the valley of the Aternus to its mouth, and there joined the coast-road at Pescara. Claudius also constructed a road, the Via Claudia Nova, connecting the Via Salaria to the Via Valeria near the modern Popoli. This road was continued south to Isernia. [2]
Pope Gregory XVI referred to a diversion of the river Aniene under the Via Valeria in his plans for infrastructure work to avert the risk of the river flooding. [8]
The modern railway from Rome to Castellammare Adriatico closely follows the line of the Via Valeria. [2]
Since 2000 the Ponte Scutonico, the most important and well-preserved monument of the Via Valeria in the Aniene valley which had been buried after floods and landslides, has been excavated with the enhancement of the stretch of road belonging to it leading to a considerable advance in knowledge. It was probably built under Nerva (r. 96–8) along with enhancement of the road.
A second Via Valeria, the Via Valeria of Sicily, connected Messina and Siracusa ("Syracuse"). Hardly widened or improved until the nineteenth century, it remained the backbone of the Ionian drainage basin of Sicily, favouring the development of cities along it: Messina, Taormina, Giardini-Naxos, Giarre, Acireale, Catania, Augusta, and Siracusa. Today, Route 114 follows it in part.[ citation needed ]
There are the remains of at least two Roman bridges along the road, which are the Ponte San Giorgio and the Ponte Scutonico.
The Via Clodia was an ancient high road of Italy. Situated between the Via Cassia and the Via Aurelia, it is different from them notably in that the latter was designed primarily for military long-haul, irrespective of settlements they met, but the Via Clodia was of short-range, intended for commercial traffic with the colonies in Etruscan lands.
The Aniene, formerly known as the Teverone, is a 99-kilometer (62 mi) river in Lazio, Italy. It originates in the Apennines at Trevi nel Lazio and flows westward past Subiaco, Vicovaro, and Tivoli to join the Tiber in northern Rome. It formed the principal valley east of ancient Rome and became an important water source as the city's population expanded. The falls at Tivoli were noted for their beauty. Historic bridges across the river include the Ponte Nomentano, Ponte Mammolo, Ponte Salario, and Ponte di San Francesco, all of which were originally fortified with towers.
The Via Praenestina was an ancient Roman road in central Italy.
Avezzano is a city in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in the province and the sixth in the region. It is the main commercial, industrial and agricultural centre of the Marsica area, with important high-tech industries and the Fucino Space Centre.
Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli and then, with the Via Valeria, on to Pescara.
Aqua Anio Novus was an ancient Roman aqueduct supplying the city of Rome. Like the Aqua Claudia, it was begun by emperor Caligula in 38 AD and completed in 52 AD by Claudius, who dedicated them both on August 1.
Aqua Claudia was an ancient Roman aqueduct that, like the Aqua Anio Novus, was begun by Emperor Caligula in 38 AD and finished by Emperor Claudius in 52 AD.
Roviano is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region of Latium, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northeast of Rome.
Aternum was a Roman town, on the site of Pescara, in Italy. Some historians also refer to Aternum with the name of Ostia Aterni, due to its location at the mouth of the river Aternus. Being connected to Rome through the Via Tiburtina and its extension the Via Valeria, Aternum played a crucial in connecting the capital to the Eastern provinces of the Empire. Its harbour, largely occupied by commercial and fishing ships, was supposedly also used for military purposes.
Settecamini is the 6th zona of Rome, identified by the initials Z. VI.. Settecamini is also the name of the urban zone 5L, within the Municipio V of Rome.
The Via Sublacensis was a Roman road constructed to connect Nero's palace in present-day Subiaco to Rome, splitting off from the Via Valeria near Varia, about 10 km northeast of Tivoli.
The Aqua Marcia is one of the longest of the eleven aqueducts that supplied the city of Rome. The aqueduct was built between 144–140 BC, during the Roman Republic. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long stretches along the route of the Aqua Marcia.
The Subiaco Dams were a group of three Roman gravity dams at Subiaco, Lazio, Italy, devised as pleasure lakes for Emperor Nero. The biggest one was the highest dam in the Roman Empire, and even in the world until its accidental destruction in 1305.
The Via Claudia Nova was an ancient Roman road, built in 47 AD by the Roman emperor Claudius to connect the Via Caecilia with the Via Valeria in central Italy.
The Aqua Anio Vetus was an ancient Roman aqueduct, and the second oldest after the Aqua Appia.
Pietralata is the 21st quartiere of Rome, identified by the initials Q. XXI, and belongs to the Municipio IV. Its name comes from the Latin Prata Lata meaning large fields, which is possibly a reference to the large amount of nature and vegetation present.
The Tunnels of Claudius consist principally of a 6 km-long tunnel together with several monumental service tunnels which Roman Emperor Claudius had built by 52 AD to partially drain the Fucine Lake in Abruzzo, protecting riparian villages from floods and creating agricultural land. It was a massive engineering project involving 30,000 workmen and slaves who completed it in just 11 years, and considered among the grandest in antiquity. It was the longest tunnel ever built until the inauguration of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel in 1871.
Municipio Roma VII is the seventh administrative subdivision of the Municipality of Rome (Italy).
The Lucano bridge is a Roman stone bridge over the Aniene river in the Province of Rome, Italy, on the via Tiburtina. Coming from the direction of Rome, the bridge is found after Tivoli Terme and before Hadrian's Villa. This bridge was part of the project for the most endangered monuments of the World Monuments Fund for the year 2010.
