Via Salaria is an ancient Roman consular road that connected the imperial city of Rome to its territory, where a series of urban configurations are found along its path through the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. Historically defined by their relationship to Rome, many of these configurations have been transformed, notably during the twentieth century; some rural areas have become integral parts of Rome; some have drifted into oblivion, while others have been reinvented through global networks, thus becoming largely independent of Rome, and establishing a certain autonomy of the hinterland. 

For this study, carried out in collaboration with the Università Roma Tre and the Sapienza Università di Roma, we conducted fieldwork in Central Italy, moving along Via Salaria from Rome and Roman Campagna, through the Apennine nature parks, to the emerging coastal metropolis along the Adriatic Sea.