The Appia Regina Viarum – Provincia di Latina brand was introduced last Saturday, September 13, at the Teatro Romano Hotel in Minturno, Italy, in the outskirts of Latina, the head of one of the provinces between Rome and Naples. The brand aims to plan and manage the tourism development of the stretch of the Appian Way – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – between the Pontine Plain and the Garigliano River.
A crown of 13 paving stones represents the municipalities of the Provincial control room, united in a shared identity to promote the Regina Viarum (Queen of Roads): Latina, Cisterna di Latina, Norma, Sermoneta, Sezze, Pontinia, Terracina, Monte San Biagio, Fondi, Itri, Gaeta, Formia, and Minturno. The steering committee is led by Gerardo Stefanelli, President of the Province of Latina, who had this brilliant idea and persevered in implementing it, fostering synergies as well as shared goals, energies, and visions.
The brand will be a key player at the 27th Mediterranean Archaeological Tourism Exchange in Paestum, Campania (the region headed by Naples), scheduled from October 30th to November 2nd. During this event, the Province of Latina will showcase archaeological beauties, landscapes, and culture in a large stand, deliberately designed in a linear rather than angular fashion. This underlines the concept of “path”, symbolized by a common thread that spans time and space, uniting diverse communities in a single vision of enhancement and development.
Culture, tourism, and institutional collaboration will define the new identity of this UNESCO World Heritage site, which has always been characterized by a sense of belonging, collaboration, and exchange between communities, as well as shared heritage. So much so that the stand in Paestum will have, alongside the speech and sales areas, a tasting area, metaphorically connecting with the rest stops that have refreshed travelers along the Appian Way since ancient Roman times.
The project is the result of exemplary teamwork between institutions, municipalities, associations, and operators, with prominent figures such as the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Museums Directorate for Latium, the region headed by Rome itself.
The brand introduction concluded with a performance by the Rome International Orchestra and a visit to the Ponte Real Ferdinando, the first iron catenary suspension bridge built in Italy (1828-1832) and one of the first in the world.
Statement by Gerardo Stefanelli, President of the Province of Latina
“The story that began on Saturday is truly new, exciting, and destined to become a benchmark, both for the synergies between institutions and for tourism promotion, which, when it can count on a strong asset like the Appian Way, does not suffer from particularism. The Queen of the Roads, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since last year, is one of the most fascinating stretches of road in the world, known across every continent and captivating regardless of the origins and traditions of those who visit it. The Province of Latina, in collaboration with its 13 municipalities, will invest the best of its resources and planning to allow as many tourists as possible to feast their eyes on this marvel and raise awareness for the benefit of all incoming visitors.”
More information: https://latina.appiareginaviarum.org
The Appian Way, with its over 900 km of roads, works of art, and historical remains, has always been a crossroads of knowledge, identity, as well as of natural, engineering, and cultural heritage, influencing Italian and Mediterranean history for millennia. The Province of Latina, just southbound Rome, is proud to be part of this heritage, with its Pontine route, from Cisterna to Minturno, still clearly visible and excellently preserved.
The Province of Latina actively participated in the ministerial dossier process and in all the phases that led to UNESCO’s inscription of the Via Appia in its list of World Heritage Sites.
The importance of this recognition for the Province of Latina strengthens its cultural, historical, and tourism presence, confirming the need to rethink these factors in an integrated and interactive way, to promote an entire territory and its ancient and modern history, as the Appian Way teaches.
