Subject
In his Voyage en Italie, Montesquieu remarks several times on the Via Appia: one passage comments on the layered construction of the road, the character and dimensions of the paving stones, also noting the figures of Appius Claudius (under whom construction reached Capua), Caligula, and finally Trajan (responsible for extension of the road to Brindisi). The author notes how foreign visitors, arriving in Rome, must have been amazed at the sight of the ancient road and monuments, clear manifestations of the “puissance romaine”. From this judgement – not unlike others in the work – transpires all Montesquieu’s admiration for the glorious masterpieces of Ancient Rome.
Placement
Harvard University Library
Credits
Google Books, Harvard University Library
References
Voyages de Montesquieu publiés par Le Baron Albert de Montesquieu, Tome II, Bordeaux – Paris 1896, p. 4.
