One of the most compelling experiences of my year was walking down the Appia Antica, the original Via Appia. Construction of this road began in the fourth century B.C.E. and when it was completed, nearly a century later, it led from Rome all the way to Capua (just north of Naples).

The section where the above photo was taken is one of the most beautiful stretches and is immaculately maintained.

If you look carefully at the photo above, you’ll note that the photo was snapped at the corner Via Fioranello and Via Appia Antica. Literally a stone’s throw to the right (west) of where I was standing lies the legendary Fiorano farm, where some of Italy’s most compelling wines have been grown since the end of WWII by the Boncompagni family. It’s also the site where some of Italy’s earliest experiments in organic farming and spontaneous fermentation were conducted by Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi, a winemaker who had an out-sized influence on Italian viticulture (although his name is not familiar to most Italian wine-focused professionals today).

The Antinori’s Alberico estate, named after Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi, a grandparent to the current generation of the Florentine family, lies across the road from Fiorano.

One of the things that makes this wine growing area so unique is the richly volcanic soils. As I discovered traveling down the Via Appia (the modern version of the road, which runs parallel to the ancient one), the volcano that formed Lake Albano spread volcanic ash for miles and miles to the north and the south. As a result, these lands have been coveted by wine growers since antiquity.

This July, I did a short trip along the Via Appia to visit a number of wineries there. It was a fascinating, inspiring experience. And one of the best moments came when I was given access to part of the less traveled and less tourist-friendly section.

This is the first in a series of posts where I’ll recount my journey. But it had to begin with the breathtaking moment that I first viewed the Appia Antica, the Ancient Appia. As cliché as it sounds, I could feel history and viticultural legacy pulse through my blood. It was exhilarating. Stay tuned and thanks for being here.

And for the thrifty traveler, I recommend a wonderful little hotel in Ciampino (to the left or east of where I took the above photo). It’s called Plaza Rooms Ciampino and had no services. But it was super clean and had the best wifi I’ve ever seen in Italy. It was affordable and for those wanting to go in the Rome center, it’s a 30-minute commuter train ride away. Ciampino, a small town where one of Rome’s domestic airports is located, had some fun pizzerias, too.