Substantial sections of the Neckar-Alb Roman Route follow the Roman road depicted on the famous Peutinger Map, the medieval copy of an ancient Roman road map: from the legion camp at Vindonissa (Windisch in Switzerland) via Tenedo (Zurzach, Upper Rhine) and Iuliomago (Schleitheim, in the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen) to Brigobanne (Hüfingen in Germany). It then continued via Arae Flaviae (Rottweil) and Sumelocenna (Rottenburg) to Grinario (Köngen). Roman road signs, "mileposts", were erected at regular intervals, with inscriptions showing the distance to the nearest settlements and information about the road builder. This is how major trading routes came to bear the name of the person who had them built. The Via Claudia Augusta, for instance, running from northern Italy across the Alps to Augusta Vindelicum (Augsburg), the capital of the province of Raetia, was named after Emperor Claudius.
The countryside on both sides of the Neckar-Alb Roman Route has plenty to offer from mighty castles and grand palaces to picturesque churches looking out over the tableland. Those travelling by car will miss out if they don't get out and explore on foot every now and then. It is a walkers' paradise, but cyclists will also find enough hills and valleys to help improve their fitness, health and well-being. The route brings together a wide range of fascinating museums (some open-air), amazing places of interest and top-quality cultural events - in fact, something for absolutely everyone.
