All Roads Lead to Rome: A comprehensive study on the road typologies of Italy

All Roads Lead to Rome A Comprehensive Study on the Road Typologies of Italy

Tab Backman LA 4782.03 Fall 2019 1 Kevin Finch

Table of Contents Italian Campagna

3-4

Rome

5-6

Florence

7-8

Venice

9-10

Milan

11-12

Pompeii

13-14

Siena

15-16

Perugia and Assisi

17-18

Castiglion Fiorentino

19-20

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Italian Campagna

The Autostrade is the collection of Italy’s roads forming the national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about 6,758 kilometres (4,199 mi).

Modern roads tend to be more curvy and undulating, weaving throughout topography and hills, comparetvely to Roman precedent which the roads were majority straight as can be, to maximize what at the time was thought of as efficiency, despite the varying environmental conditions.

5 Million Motoris use Roadways Daily 654,676 kilometers (406,815 miles) of paved roads 6,460 kilometers (4,014 miles) of expressway

130 km/h

the system of state highways is known at the Strade Stratali Total length of around 11,000 miles

690

Per People

Vehicles

1000

5

Rome

Streets of the Eternal City

A city as old as Rome is bound to be a place of great diversity in street infrastructure and culture.

As the largest and most historically prominent city in Italy, Rome lives up to the identity of an international city, and in various ways it has been one for millenniums. Over time the city of Rome has been constantly built over again and again, due to destruction, change in context, growth, and in general a long period of existence, warfare, and shifting politics. Much of the original ancient city (which itself changes greatly over the course of what we consider the period of ancient Rome) lies meters under the existing modern infrastructure.

Rome itself is diverse in it’s life and people and has transcended national borders and cultures, which today can be seen in its streets.

The concept of All Roads Lead to Rome derives from the Ancient Roman times when the empire was expanding to the point of transnational and continental boundaries.

Rome was the cultural and historic heart of the empire where much of the early few centuries, it served as the capitol. Due to this responsibility Rome was the center of the everything at the time and it was necessary to have a network connection back to the city.

Most roads were built starting from the city’s urban center adiating outward as far as Roman Britain and the rest of Roman occupied Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. This was a benefit for trade, militaristic movement, and ability to efficiently travel to the city from various stations and towns.

This concept of a central city that most roads lead to, is not a concept invented by the Romans, but they were the first to make a perfection to some degree of it. The concept of Rome has since carried out into the post history of Ancient Rome to the modern age where cities today still follow this suit of urban and regional centers that are all interconnected in some way.

7

Florence

A Walk Through the Rennaisance

Very few large-scale cities have the walkability of the heart of the Italian Renaissance, the city of Firenze, or Florence. This steep and vibrant history has made Florence one of the most visited and populous cities in Italy, but also a place that seems like a city frozen in time. One of the highlights of the streets of Florence is the walkability of a city to this scale.

Throughout much of the historic heart of the city the main mode of transportation remains walking as it was centuries ago prior. This is provided by Florence’s distinct identity, which is highlighted by the streets, that many themselves seem to be preserved straight from Renaissance era design.

From walking the city much of the historic and cultural sights was often within a few blocks of each other and often within a straight-lined street from each other. Just by going from Florence’s main duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, to the Ponte Vecchio, one passes by multiple historic and cultural centers including the Piazza del Signoria with the towering Palazzo Vecchio, and the Uffizi.

Aside from the physical sites, the streets of Florence are buzzing with a vibrant arts culture, which itself highlights the history of the city.

9

Venice

By Way of Canal

Very few cities in the world have a such a prominent waterscape than Venice does. The hard scape of the city is intertwined with a network of canals that have become the major transportation means of traveling aside from walking.

Due to the relationship with water transportation, Venice has been suffering from occasional floods, known as Acqua Alta, sometimes to the point of much destruction to the city

The Grand Canal is Venice’s largest and most important canal, going from the Saint Lucia Station to Piazza San Marco

117 canals 400 bridges 118 islands

Reinforced with Brick 5’-300’ Width

Of the various types of boats in the Venice Lagoon and canals the main modes of transportation are via private gondolas, Vaporettos (public ferry system), privately owned company vessels, and occasional cruise ships.

5’-15’ Depth Average Many of Venice’s canals are actually built on the natural canals from the lagoon base, the canals today have been altered deeper and wider to accomodate the citys urban design.

The Canals are cleaned on a regular basis due to litter and 11 chemicals from vehicles

Milan

The Metropolis of Northern Italy

Milan has been one of the largest and most prominent cities on the Italic Peninsula since its inception by the Celtic Insubres. The original name of the city, Mediolanum, was first given by the Romans once they captured the city in 222 BC, thus making it one of the most important hubs within their soon to be Empire. Mediolanum became one of the main centers within the extensive Roman road network, often connecting the Roman Territory on the Italic Peninsula with the rest of the Empire throughout Europe and beyond.

This identity is still present and true for Milan today as it has still managed to be one of the most connective, metropolitan, and international cities in Italy. With the nations largest urban and metropolitan areas, the City boasts an urban center unlike I’ve seen in most cites of Italy. Due to this the city has larger scaled infrastructure, streets, and parks that were all noticeably more spaced out comparatively to the average Italian city.

13

Pompeii

A Glimpse into Roman Road Precedence

Unearth Streets a

Present Streets a that have been d

The destruction of Pompeii has been one of the greatest tragedies of the ancient world, but since its excavation and discovery, it has provided modern people with one of the most unique views into the life and infrastructure of the Roman period. The ash and rubble that covered Pompeii for centuries, preserved it to the point that many of the streets and foundations of the city’s layout is in some of the best quality of ancient world ruins of that age. Much of the original city is still yet to be uncovered today.

Drainage Ditch

Summon Dorsum (Large Smooth Stone Slab

Nucleus (Cemented Sand and Grave

Rudus (Gravel in Cement Morta

Statumen (Crushed Roc

Compacted Sand or Dry Eart

and Ruins

and Ruins discovered

Pompeii itself shows the engineering and design of a typical Roman grid city. The history of methods of transportation on the Italic Peninsula has gone through drastic change over the course of human history, from Roman grid to Medieval freeform, the cities and streets have constantly been rebuilt and redesigned, especially the cities that have been inhabited for the past few 1000s years. The special attributes of Pompeii is that the original settlement was never built over due to the eruption of Vesuvius, which led to visceral view of what the road system of a Roman city was like would have looked like.

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15

Siena

Utilization of Urban Central Nodes

Central Nodes have long been a significant attribute to Italian cities, but few are as prominently visible as in the Tuscan city, Siena. Originally founded by the Etruscans, the city wasn’t a major Roman city, thus gained its major regional influence in Italy during the Medieval period, which played a large role in the visible urban framework of the city.

The main central node of the city is the Piazza del Campo which came into existence without any Roman precedent, but due to medieval regime. The piazza itself is divided into 9 sections radiating from the central water feature in the shape of a fan, which is right in front of the Palazzo Publico. Each section representing one “The Nine” or the “Noverschi” (the oligarchic rulers of the medieval Siena, who laid the groundwork for the modern day city). From this city center piece 11 streets radiate out into the rest of the city fabric continuing out beyond the boundaries of Siena and to the rest of the Tuscan countryside. With 3 of these streets being major roads.

The piazza plays a major part in the city’s history and culture, where people have traveled to gather, and partake in festivities including the Palio di Siena, completely highlighting the effects a central node has on city.

17

Perugia and Assisi

Effects of Topographrical Diverse Urban Fabrics

The region of Umbria itself is full of mountains, valleys, and rolling hills. As cities and towns such as Perugia and Assisi, began to develop in the area, the issue of topographical diversity became a forefront to the local people. Both Assisi and Perugia are built up on hills and steep mountains for various reasons from the past, but due to this have developed a diversity of paths and routes through the city. Both have coped with this in different ways, where Perugia constructed an elevated tramway system, Assisi focused more on foot travel and being able to walk up the topographical changing streets.

19

Castiglion Fiorentino

Roads as a connection between the Urban, Suburban and Rural Roads are one of the most important infrastructural elements for small towns to provide connection and economy.

Communes like Castiglion Fiorentino often rely on a single or multitude network of systems to keep the town going. It is places like this that are often have a greater mix of the urban, suburban, and rural. This makes it so that roads and transportation networks are necessary not only to connect the city with other nearby cities but to provide access and circulation within the macro scale of the commune’s own confines.

Rural Subrurban Urban In the case of Rural accommodations and experiences such as Agriturismos or Hiking Trails, it is crucial to have a connection of some sort from areas of high density, such as urban centers, to allow for efficient access for people such as locals, toursists, and consumers.

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