I found this title quite intriguing, being a European history buff. At first, I thought that I would have enjoyed the book far more had I actually taken it with me to Italy so that I could see some of the roads and places that Keahey talks about so charmingly. Of course the internet offers everyone the chance to look up piazzas and other named areas, and readers might want to read first so that they can imitate Keahey in staying at specific bed and breakfasts and actually choose the same places he stayed at, like the small studio owned by Emiliano Bombardieri, which is the first place the author stayed in his three-month journey. I found Keayey's method of asking and finding people/experts to inform him (on the spot) about local areas both courageous and inspiring in our modern world of needing to plan every single step in advance. If you enjoy travel memoirs with a heavy dose of information both historical and modern (he speaks of an ongoing pagan festival!), then this book will be sure to please.

It is dull because there are no photos or maps. The author writes reams of info about the road names, their conditions past and present, But without photos and maps, it is as interesting as reading a dictionary. However, a lot of short bits of historical information about the peers and times of Caesar is referenced in between the descriptions of the places where action or stories may have happened. I know some people enjoy this style of travelogue/history, but for me it is too dry.

Following Caesar
By John Keahey

This book is a blend of history and travelogue. It documents the author's trip along the ancient roads of the Romans – the Via Latina, the Via Appia, the Via Traiana, and the Via Egnatia among others.

Mr. Keahey manages to incorporate details of the lives and times of many famous Romans and others who traveled these roads. These nuggets of historical information enliven what could have become a rather dull treatise on road building techniques throughout the Roman Empire.

This is definitely a book for the history buff. It certainly verifies the saying that "all roads lead to Rome" was indeed the case during the mighty Roman Empire.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of Following Caesar by John Keahey

Author John Keahey has taken the reader on an intimate journey to unravel and highlight the fascinating work of the Romans as they built their way from Rome to Istanbul. The book is part history, part mythology, part religion, part politics and part war as readers contemplate the many facets of Rome's success and ultimate failure on the European/Middle Eastern stage.

The author begins with some fascinating facts about the creation of the major roads (Via Appia, Via Egnatia and Via Traiana) and the amazing realization that even with slave labor, the Romans were able to lay over 50,000 miles of roads, some of which to one degree or another still exist today,.

John Keahey has presented a somewhat laid-back approach to his discoveries, creating a connection with readers that steers away from the complex and goes directly to a common understanding of events.

It is hoped that the final presentation of this book contains maps which will aid the reader in placing the people of the era with the events that changed history.


In the Covid era, this author did all he could to make this journey relevant and engaging and highlighted the triumphs as well as the disappointments he encountered.. Without maps, the reader may find the sequence of places and events difficult to follow.

One side note that this reviewer connected with is the food company Appian Way which in the 1950s and 1960s marketed a pizza kit in the box called Appian Way. Inside the box was pie crust ingredients, tomato sauce and some kind of dehydrated cheese. Just about everything one needed to make a pizza. In its time the product was very successful Another connection to history!

A travel narrative following three ancient roads and looking at more than two thousand years of history of Ancient Rome through the modern eye.

First, it is important you read above. If not you are going to think this is about Caeser’s journey. It is not. It is the author’s journey to travel the path Caesar did along the three roads in Rome. The Via Appia, The Via Egnatia, and The Via Traiana.

I wasn’t in love with it. He talks a lot about parking and coffee. I can see where we got confused, but it was okay.

NetGalley/St. Martin’s Press, December 12, 2023

This book was a free read available through NetGalley and published by St. Martin's Press. My thanks to both as well as the author.

Following Caesar is many different things in one book. Author John Keahey shares his travelogue describing his efforts to follow three important Roman roads: The Via Appia (what most English knows as the Appian Way) from Rome to Capua;, the Via Egnatia (which begins in Albania and connected the Via Appia to Istanbul) and the Via Traiana, a coastal route connecting the cities of Benevento and Brindisi.

Along the travels the author shares many historical points of how figures like Horace, Virgil, Caesar, Marc Antony, Cicero, and many others, including the Saints Peter and Paul, walked these roads on their journeys centuries ago. We also learn of places that were sites of famous battles, where unknown thousands died in defense of Rome or to conquer the Eternal City. The historical aspects were the most interesting to me in reading this book.

The book is challenging to follow. There is not a single map in the copy I received, and I claim no expertise in the geography of Italy. I did consult an atlas and online sources while trying to get through the book. There is a lot of personal information about the author's daily stops for double espressos and meals and searches for parking spaces which space could better have been used in giving us more facts about the roads and the history behind each one.

My rating for this is three stars, primarily because of the historical aspects that the author brings to light in the book. But this is at times a tediously slow read and best served with a good map at your side.

Interesting travel narrative following the history of the Roman empire along three famous roads. The roads that Caesar and others followed to both commerce and war, and ultimately conquest, fill the pages of this book.

nonfiction, travelog, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, history-trivia*****

It's a travelogue with both ancient and recent perspectives. I thought it was fascinating and wish that I could have sneaked into the luggage to go along on this trip. In lieu of that I am happy with reading this book now and later.
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

4.5 / 5

A lovely read!

I was very excited to read this book as my mother is from Rome. It was deeply meaningful to be privy to the same "roads" my mother travelled which carry such profound history.

The book read more like a travelogue so if you do consider reading it, keep this in mind.

A great effort from the author- sprinkled with personal points and lots of genuine passion.

I do encourage reading this book if you are inclined.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

(This review was posted on Goodreads)

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review for the offered copy of this book. This wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I’m also questioning myself about what exactly I did expect. I do know I definitely did not want to read about how often the author had to search for a parking space on the crowded Italian city streets. That is practically assumed. But I read way too many details about just that subject. I appreciated the basic descriptions about ruins discovered, but they were just that-basic. I really have no feelings about the ancient roads either since the majority of the routes are paved over by a major interstate. So truly I think all this book inspired me to do was research images on the internet since no photos were included. I’m really not that interested in visiting any discovered passages that have been unearthed. I just did not read enough about the roads themselves at least not any knowledge from the past. I suppose I could blame it on Covid? It certainly was not the best time on the planet to have traveled in Europe for information. The book was pleasant; I could somewhat picture aspects in my mind. I just feel like this book couldn’t settle on what exactly the author ‘s goal was, if he felt comfortable and pleased with his final draft. I wonder if the title is the best fit since the road that seemed to be the one Caesar used often took a back seat to smaller roads weaving in and out of the towns.

Contrary to the title, this book is not about following Caesar. I would wager that the number of times he talks about getting a cup of coffee exceeds the number of times Caesar is discussed in any detail. Rather, it is about the author's journey retracing the paths of three important Roman roads: the Via Appia, the Via Egnatia and the Via Traiana.

Many notable figures in history trod these roads including Caesar, Marc Antony, Brutus, St. Paul, Horace and Virgil. They were the vehicle through which the Romans extended and maintained their empire. Keahey read extensively in preparation for this trip but little of that research reaches the page. The poet Horace wrote a satire regarding a journey he took during one of the Roman Civil Wars and the aahor's trip was in part designed to follow the same route. The quotes from Homer are few though.

Keahey is not a historian and Following Caesar reads as much as a travel journal as anything else. Unfortunately the account of his travels is dry and much of it boring. Stories of his parking travails and coffee breaks abound. Many of the places he visited were closed or could not be found. Others were seen because he stumbled into a knowledgeable guide who showed him something unique and memorable. Nearly all of these sites however, were hidden away on private land. He records a number of "memorable" meals but neglects to say the name of the restaurant, what was on the menu and what made them memorable.

Following Caesar is bereft of usable information for a traveler wishing to take this journey. It does supply some historical information but not a lot. It fails to describe in detail what might interest or entertain a reader. I cannot recommend this book

Interesting, but would have been better without the person anecdotes. Those made what I thought would be a journey through history into a travelogue.

In Following Caesar Keahey journeys along three Ancient Roman roads. Stretches of the original three roads can be seen preserved. John Keahey leads the reader along these three roads and through six countries between Rome and Istanbul.

John Keahey is a former journalist with a history degree from the University of Utah. From his frequent travels in Italy he has published several books on its history and georaphy.

This is a refreshing "off-the-beaten-path" approach to history.

John Keahey's "Following Caesar" is described as being a travel narrative that follows three ancient roads, while looking at over 2000 years of Ancient Roman history through the modern eye. It certainly lives up to this description, giving the reader background on the people and events that led to the building of three particular roads that played central role in connecting the vast empire that was Rome.

While I love history (so much so that I have an undergrad degree in it), this book just wasn't my cup of tea. A book such as this, where the author writes in first person, has to grab me within the prologue (if there is one) and the first 2 chapters. This did not do so. To me it was not a narrative, but rather a personal travel diary turned into a book, with history used to flesh it out. I just couldn't enjoy it...as I said, not my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Following Caesar is a well researched book that literally covers the path of Caesar and the world that he opened up with his journeys and building of the road.

He is involved in war along the way. Great poets and thinkers travel this road. Apostles, warriors, and more. It eventually opens a road between Rome and Istanbul that can be found today.

The details in the book are amazing and it is not just Caesar I learned about. The stories are amazing and gave me an entire new perspective of this history of a road I didn't even know existed.

A history book that places you in the mindset and time of some of Rome's most famous figures. Will inspire many readers to travel on the old Roman roads.