All Roads Lead to Rome

From Palestrina we have the Via Prenestina (formerly via Gabina because it passed through Gabii) which leads to Rome and also goes in the opposite direction toward Fiuggi. This ancient road is still uncovered in some places where the original polygonal basalt stone blocks can be seen. The roads were built to last, and 2000 years later you can still see them (where they haven’t been covered or dismantled), at times still smooth and flat, at times uneven from tree roots pushing through, other times with rut marks from the various carriage and cart wheels that passed over engraving their voice in history. For those of us who come from far away lands and find our way to Italy, the site of those Roman roads can be touching: it’s the combination of perfect workmanship, practical construction, and the beauty of smooth basalt. The age-old question comes to mind: why don’t they still make things the way they used to?

For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_roads