Via Cassia

The Via Cassia ( Cassische street ) is one of the gens Cassia ( cashier ) applied Roman road leading from Rome to Tuscany. With the system the Via Cassia has not commenced prior to the year 241 BC.

From Rome they went over Veii and Sutrium ( Sutri) and Forum Cassii ( at Vetralla ) in Volsinii novi ( Bolsena ) at Lacus Volsiniensis over the valley of the Clanis until shortly before Clusium ( Chiusi ). The forum here marks the middle of the road total distance; this was in the streets, which were built by the Romans, as usual. The Via Cassia was thus approximately 130 kilometers long. It is difficult today to reconstruct the original route of the road because it was often distracted in post-ancient times by the proximity of settlements in their route. Even the old Route directories contradict each other in some respects. For this reason, can not define with absolute certainty the original road one.

Although it had been built in antiquity, they maintained a certain importance to the Middle Ages. It was because she was still relatively well preserved, as one of the most important compounds of northern Italy to Rome. Especially with their width, which could be up to 3 m, quickly more troops could move. Assuming that Charlemagne could have used in his time the street, she was named temporarily as part of the Via Francigena ( " Franconia Road" ).

It is also observed that over time some stones that were from the street, were used for construction of buildings (eg houses or graves ). But not only the Via Cassia, but also other roads shared this fate, which is due to the general shortage of raw materials in the Middle Ages.

Its continuation was the Via Clodia, which led over Arretium (Arezzo ), Florentia (Florence), Luca (Lucca ) to Genoa.

The course of the Via Cassia in Italy is still emulated by the State Road 2 (SS 2), which also bears the name Cassia.