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The Via Salaria is an incredibly important consular road linking Rome and Porto d’Ascoli; its name derives from the major salt trade that took place along its route.

In fact, over two thousand years ago—when salt was a bona fide measure of wealth, insofar as it was a fundamental element for nutrition and food conservation—the Romans decided to build this road, also called the “via del sale” (“salt road”), in order to be able to trade this precious good with inland regions.

Hence the Sabines also used this route from very early on, both to buy salt from the Tyrrhenian coast and to sell their own goods: the Salaria was used along with the Tiber to take sought-after Sabine products, such as olive oil, to Rome. So this route preserves the historical and cultural imprints for the ancient Romans, Sabines, and all the other populations that have used it over the centuries.

The Via Salaria as we see it today follows the route of the “Salaria Nova,” which dates back to the reign of Emperor Nerva (96–99 CE).