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In Frattocchie, a tiny town on the outskirts of Rome, a McDonald's was built over an ancient Roman road after the brand helped preserve it.
A McDonald's featuring a path that connects to ancient Rome's most famous road is in Frattocchie. Google Maps.
Frattocchie, which was known as Bovillae in ancient Rome, is a tiny hamlet in Marino, Italy.
It is part of the Lazio region, which has a population of more than 5 million.
The Appian Way was constructed in 312 BC. It started in Rome and eventually stretched out to the port city of Brindisi. Today, the roads are covered because of the urbanization of Rome. essevu/Shutterstock
What is now known as Frattocchie was connected to other Italian cities via roads that led to the Appian Way, which was constructed starting in 312 BCE and is considered Europe's first major highway.
At first, the Appian Way ran for 132 miles between Rome and Capua in Campania, southeast of Rome. Eventually, it was extended across the country to the port of Brindisi, close to the Adriatic Sea. Today, the road is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In 2014, workers constructing a new McDonald's discovered an offshoot of the road in Frattocchie.
A board displaying the history of the archeological findings at the viewing gallery built under the McDonald's in Frattocchie. Gary He/McAtlas
During early archeological investigations, Rome's Superintendency for Archaeology said it had unearthed a 150-foot-long road that diverged from the Appian Way.
The section of the road is believed to have been constructed between the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. News outlet The Local reported that travelers stopped using it three centuries later.
Archeologists discovered the path had become a burial site and contained the skeletons of three men.
McDonald's donated 300,000 euros toward the three-year restoration, and afterward, the road was incorporated into McDonald's restaurant design.