Sunday mornings on the Appia Antica, the old Appian Way, reveal a more serene side of the Italian capital. The fabled road, constructed for the transportation of troops and military supplies in and out of Rome in 312 BC, is a two-mile pedal from the Colosseum and closed to traffic on Sundays.

The farther you go, the larger and more ancient the cobblestones become (thankfully, there is a dirt path paralleling the road to ride on), and the more you are surrounded by rolling farmland, ancient ruins, and views of the Castelli Romani, hilltowns outside of Rome. Along the way, cyclists pass by the catacombs, stop-worthy restaurants, well-guarded villas, and even a cricket pitch.