Italian culture minister hails UNESCO recognition of ancient Roman road.

Italy has been successful in its bid to have the Via Appia Antica included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the United Nations' cultural body announced on Saturday.

The “Via Appia. Regina viarum” candidacy of the ancient Roman road, approved during the UNESCO summer session in New Dehli, was the first such bid promoted directly by the Italian culture ministry.

The UNESCO recognition refers to the full route of the Appia Way, from Rome to Brindisi in south-east Italy, and including the Via Traiana, built by Emperor Trajan from Beneveneto to Brindisi.

Il Comitato del Patrimonio Mondiale, riunito a Nuova Delhi, ha deliberato l’iscrizione della “Via Appia. Regina Viarum” nella Lista del Patrimonio Mondiale. Il sito è il 60esimo bene italiano riconosciuto dall’@UNESCO
Scopri di più: https://t.co/dKsDFFTaM8@appiaunesco pic.twitter.com/h1dPgkbzgF

— Ministero della Cultura (@MiC_Italia) July 27, 2024

Hailing the "prestigious milestone", Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said that UNESCO had recognised "the exceptional universal value of an extraordinary engineering work which over the centuries has been essential for commercial, social and cultural exchanges with the Mediterranean and the East."

Dating to 312 BC, the Via Appia is the first and most important Roman roads and was known as Regina Viarum or "queen of the roads" by the Romans.

Life on the Appia Antica #Rome pic.twitter.com/Naqbz5o7Cy

— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) January 28, 2024

The UNESCO bid was backed by 73 municipalities, 15 parks, 12 cities and provinces, four regions (Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Puglia), 25 Italian and foreign universities, and the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology.

The Appian Way is the 60th Italian site to obtain World Heritage recognition from UNESCO, making Italy the country with the world's highest number of UNESCO heritage sites.