The straight layout of the road follows that of the ancient urban section of the Via Flaminia, called in antiquity and in the Middle Ages via Lata.

In the Middle Ages, the original straight road, subject to flooding of the Tiber due to the low altitude, would have been abandoned in favor of a road located at a higher altitude: according to a recent study[1] it would be the ancient Via Biberatica, which, starting from the Forum of Trajan, it followed the current via delle Tre Cannelle and via di Sant’Eufemia, piazza dei Santi Apostoli, via di San Marcello, piazza dell’Oratorio, via di Santa Maria in Via (tract now interrupted by the Galleria Sciarra), piazza San Claudio, piazza San Silvestro, via del Gambero, and then led back to the ancient via Flaminia at the height of the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina. (wiki)