Via Annia is an ancient consular Roman road constructed in the year 131 B.C. by Praetor Titus Annius Rufus on the basis of the work previously started by Consul Publius Popillius Laenas.
It ran along the Adriatic area and linked Atria (currently known as Adria) to Aquileia, passing through important centres such as Patavium (Padua), Altinum (Altino), one of the greatest ports on the high Adriatic Sea, a flourishing commercial centre as well as meeting point for traffic between the north and the Mediterranean, and the city of Iulia Concordia (Concordia Sagittaria).
It leads west and represents an artery of exchange of commerce, civilizations, languages, art and culture. This road was travelled by numerous emperors who went along it with their troops to defend the eastern border of the Empire.