Rome to Terracina

Terracina is located where the Volscian Hills meet the sea, a strategic point where there is no easy overland passage between the Pontine Plain to the northwest and the Plain of Fondi to the east. Not until Trajan made a cut through the mountain was the problem solved for the Via Appia. The port city has been home to the palaces of the powerful ever since the early days of settlement. Its main points of interest are the Cathedral and Plaza (both built within the old Roman Forum) through which the Via Appia passes, the Trajan cut for the Via Appia, and the Temple of Jupiter (Giove).