Reactivation of the ancient via Severiana. Archaeological and nature trail at Torvaianica, Rome

The project is located in a section (6km) of the coastline south of Rome near the municipality of Pomezia, next to the Natural Reserve of Castel Porziano. Here the dune ecosystem has strongly been threatened by urbanization during the 1950s. This part of the coast was anciently crossed by the via Severiana, a major Roman infrastructure connecting the ancient city of Ostia with the smaller coastal centres, along which some important archaeological sites are also in relationship with the system of the great archaeological areas of Ostia, Lavinium and Ardea.

The strategy starts from the reactivation of the ancient via Severiana, considering the potential role of the infrastructure in connecting the natural landscape and the archaeological landscape of the coast. The trail, tracing the ancient road, is located at around 500 m by the sea, with views on the Roman countryside; the connection with the coast is guaranteed by three transversal axes at the main ditches.

Two interventions on the two archaeological areas in the municipality mark the beginning and the end of the corridor, that is articulated by two more interventions on the dune ecosystem and by one on the urban landscape of the seaside town of Torvaianica. The interventions on archaeological heritage face the problems of accessibility and communication of the sites; two conservation interventions on natural heritage address the renaturation of the Mediterranean forest, and the last one foresees a neighbourhood park to connect the system to the urban area.