It led from the
Porta Latina in the
Aurelian Walls of
Rome to the pass of
Mount Algidus; it was important in the early military history of Rome. It must have preceded the
Via Appia as a route to
Campania, in as much as the Latin colony at
Cales was founded in 334 BC and must have been accessible from Rome by road, whereas the Via Appia was made only twenty-two years later. It follows, too, a far more natural line of communication, without the engineering difficulties that the arrow-straight Via Appia had to overcome. As a through-route, it preceded the
Via Labicana, though the latter may have been preferred in later times. After their junction, the Via Latina continued to follow the valley of the (
River Sacco), following a line taken by the modern railway to
Naples, and passing below the
Hernican hill-towns,
Anagni (where it joined with the
Via Praenestina),
Ferentino,
Frosinone, and others. At
Fregellae, it crossed the
Liri, and then passed through
Aquino and
Cassino, both comparatively low-lying towns. It then entered the interval between the
Apennines and the volcanic group of
Rocca Monfina, and the original road and, instead of traversing it, turned abruptly northeast over the mountains to
Venafro, thus giving a direct communication with the interior of
Samnium by roads to
Isernia and
Telese. In later times, however, there was in all probability a shortcut by
Rufrae along the line taken by the modern highroad and railway. The two lines rejoined near the present railway station of
Caianiello, and the road ran to
Teanum and Cales, and so to
Casilinum, where there was the crossing of the
Volturno and the junction with the Via Appia. The distance from Rome to Casilinum was 129 Roman miles by the Via Appia, 135 Roman miles by the old Via Latina through Venafrum, 126 Roman miles by the shortcut past Rufrae (now
Presenzano). Considerable remains of the road exist in the neighborhood of Rome; for the first 40 Roman miles, as far as
Compitum Anagninum, it is not followed by any modern road; while farther on in its course it is in the main identical with the modern highroad. ==Tombs and Catacombs==