The Via Appia, the Queen of Roads, ran from Rome to Brindisi, and in 2024 UNESCO inscribed long stretches of it as a single World Heritage site. Near Mondragone, on the coast of northern Campania, the road passes the site of Sinuessa, a Roman colony that once guarded the route where it reached the sea after crossing the coastal plains from the north. Not a great deal stands above ground today, so this is a place where you read the landscape rather than tour the ruins.
The landscape is worth reading. Behind the coast rises Monte Massico, a limestone ridge whose southern slopes produced Falernian, the most celebrated wine of ancient Rome, praised by poets and drunk at the best tables of the empire. Vines are still grown here, and the modern Falerno del Massico wine is a reasonable way to toast the past. To the north lies the river Garigliano and the ruins of Minturnae, with its theatre and forum, while the plain inland is buffalo country, and the mozzarella made from their milk in this part of Campania is superb.
The coast itself is a mixed experience, and it is fair to say so. Long sandy beaches stretch away, but they are lined with holiday developments, some unfinished, and litter can be a problem along the roadsides. The real pleasure lies in the light over the Tyrrhenian Sea in the evening and in the sense of riding on top of two thousand years of traffic.
On the bike, the main coastal road, the Domitiana, is straight and busy, with trucks and erratic local driving. Much better are the roads climbing over Monte Massico and into the hills towards Sessa Aurunca and the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, with chestnut woods, tight bends and quiet villages. Watch for potholes and gravel, which are common on minor roads in this part of Italy, and for drivers who treat lane markings as suggestions. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; summer brings heat and beach traffic.
Mondragone, about four kilometres away, is a town of over twenty-five thousand people with fuel, shops and plenty of places to eat. Order fresh mozzarella wherever you see it made, preferably eaten the same morning, and the simple lunch becomes one of the best of the trip.