The Via Tiburtina begins at the Porta San Lorenzo in Rome and owes its name to the city of Tivoli (Tibur, in Latin), famous for its gardens, the Villa D’Este and the Villa Adriana. It is one of the socalled consular roads and runs straight through the university district. The Verano Cemetery and the gorgeous Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls are the biggest attractions along this street.
Via Tiburtina Rome
In the days of the Roman Republic the Via Tiburtina was extremely important since both agricultural products and marble were brought from Tivoli and surroundings to the Eternal City.
In 286 BC the Roman consul Marco Valerio Massimo Potito ordered the construction of the road. Initially the street started at the north-western corner of the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, where the ruins of the Trofei di Mario can be seen.
After the construction of the Aurelian Walls, the beginning of the road was moved to right outside the Porta Tiburtina.
In those days the road reached as far as Corfinio, in the province of L’Aquila. The first part, until Tivoli, got the name Via Tibur and the second part became the Via Valeria.
Between 48 and 49 AD the Emperor Claudio prolonged the road all the way to Pescara on the other coast. This last stretch became the Via Claudia Valeria.
The present Via Tiburtina Valeria (SS5) still connects Rome to Chieti and Pescara, but does not always follow the original route.
The first stretch of the Via Tiburtina is located in the Tiburtino district. The area to the right of the street is known as San Lorenzo. This is one of the most vibrant neighborhoods of the city, since it is here that a good deal of the student population of Rome lives.
San Lorenzo ends when you reach Rome’s biggest cemetery, which is called Verano. The Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, one of the city’s most beautiful churches, is right next to the cemetery.
Roman bridge
In 2022, remains of a Roman bridge came to light during works to widen the Via Tiburtina (around km. 11). The bridge was used to cross a small stream at a point just before it joined the Aniene.
Settecammini Archaeological Area
Around kilometer 14, you can find the Archaeological Area of Settecammini, which contains a small stretch of the Via Tiburtina Antica and the ruins of an old post station.