Editing Appian Way (section)

=== Across the marsh ===
The road concedes nothing to the [[Alban hills]], but goes straight through them over cuts and fills. The gradients are steep. Then it enters the former Pontine Marshes. A stone causeway of about {{convert|19|mi|km|sp=us|order=flip}} led across stagnant and foul-smelling pools blocked from the sea by sand dunes. Appius Claudius planned to drain the marsh, taking up earlier attempts, but he failed. The causeway and its bridges subsequently needed constant repair. In 162&nbsp;BC, Marcus Cornelius Cathegus had a canal constructed along the road to relieve the traffic and provide an alternative when the road was being repaired. Romans preferred using the canal.{{Citation Needed|date=February 2023}}

[[File:Roma Appia Antica - mausoleo Cecilia Metella.JPG|thumb|left|[[Tomb of Caecilia Metella]] and the ''castrum [[Caetani]]'']]