Where the Queen of Roads met the sea, steps from the harbour.
The Queen of Roads
The Via Appia, the great consular road from Rome, reached its end in Brindisi; from here the journey continued by sea to the East. Later the Via Traiana offered a second route to the city.
The columns
At the top of the Virgilian steps stands the surviving Roman column, the city’s emblem. The second column collapsed in 1528, was given to Lecce in the 17th century and now carries the statue of Saint Oronzo.
Virgil in Brindisi
Tradition holds that the poet Virgil died in Brindisi in 19 BC on his return from Greece. A plaque marks the house where he is said to have spent his last days, near the columns.
