Tutte le strade portano a Roma, “All roads lead to Rome,” is a famous saying based on historical and archaeological facts: when our glorious ancestors built roads across their Empire, they all converged on one point, the Eternal City.

Via Cassia, Via Aurelia, Via Salaria, Via Appia, these are only some of the names of the many routes the Romans created across the peninsula and Europe: we learn about them in school, and many of us still travel on them daily, either to avoid getting jammed into traffic on the motorway or, if we have some time to spare, to enjoy the beauty of the landscape they run through – I’m looking at you, Via Aurelia on the Ligurian coast.