This last leg of the Roman Way, the end of your journey and the experiences you’ve had along the way, will take you from Monterotondo into the heart of Rome, to St Peter’s Basilica.
Surface
tarmac - dirt road
Water sources
yes (Monterotondo, Roma)
You have reached the last leg of the Roman Way and the end of your journey, one filled with so many experiences and feelings, is near.The day begins in Monterotondo and the route covers the final 35 kilometres to the centre of Rome and St. Peter’s Basilica without too much trouble.Once you leave Monterotondo you will cross into the municipality of Rome, travelling over the Marcigliana Nature Reserve, a quieter route into the city. It was in this park that they discovered the remains of Crustumerium, one of Lazio’s oldest settlements built on the plains overlooking the Tiber valley, an outpost that already controlled the Via Salaria in the early Iron Age (X-IX century BC).When you emerge from the park you will be at the gates of Rome, entering on Via della Bufalotta and from here you will inevitably have to deal with city traffic, at least until you reach Montesacro and then get on the cycle path along the Aniene river.From here you will be mostly on cycle paths, first along the Aniene and then the Tiber, skirting around the Auditorium and riding over the Ponte Milvio bridge, where the cycle path continues along the right bank all the way to the Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge. At this point there are some stairs to climb that put you right in front of Via della Conciliazione, at the far end of which the Basilica of St. Peter rises majestically into the sky. Enjoy the last few metres as you approach the very place where St. Peter was buried and let the memory of the special moments you have had over this long journey sink in to linger in your heart.
