At the end of the 1970s, inspired by folk tales passed down by their forefathers, two archaeology enthusiasts from Castel dell’Alpi (BO), set out to rediscover the old military Roman road, known as the Via Flaminia Militare.

In his “History of Rome”, the Roman historian Titus Livy, records that after the foundation of  Bononia in 189 BC, the Roman Senate sent the two consuls, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Gaius Flaminius with their legions to construct two important roads: the famous Via Aemilia, from Rimini to Piacenza, and the Via Flaminia Militare, from Bologna to Arezzo.

The Via Flaminia Militare had a relatively short military life. After the collapse of the Republic the Roman Empire had little use for such a road and it was gradually abandoned until all trace of it was lost. At the end of the 1970s, however, efforts were made to recover this lost heritage and after twenty years of archaeological digs considerable stretches of the ancient road’s original sandstone block surface were brought to light and can now be enjoyed by everyone. Today, these stretches of the ancient Via Flaminia Militare cover a total distance of 11 km along the crest of the Apennines. The remains are all carefully signposted and the Via degli Dei follows their ancient stones on a fascinating journey into history.

THE MARZABOTTO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA