The road also took travelers through the Pontine Marshes, a swampy area some 40 miles (60 km) from Rome and the location of the Marketplace of Appius.

⁷ The Marketplace of Appius provided little comfort for the traveler needing a respite from the rigors of his journey. Roman poet and satirist Horace describes the Marketplace as “crowded with sailors and surly inn-keepers.” He wrote that “the water was most execrable,” or foul. And he even refused to dine there!