Three Taverns

Three Taverns, a staging post on the Appian Way, about 33 miles from Rome, where Paul was met by Roman Christians (Act 28:15).

Three Taverns (Latin: Tres Tabernae) was a staging post located on the Appian Way, approximately 33 miles (53 km) south of Rome. It was situated near the junction of the Appian Way and a side road leading to Antium (modern-day Anzio). The name "Three Taverns" suggests that it served as a rest stop and a place of lodging for travelers. When the apostle Paul was being escorted to Rome as a prisoner, some Christians from Rome journeyed to meet him at Three Taverns and the Forum of Appius (Act.28.15). This gesture of support and fellowship likely encouraged Paul as he faced an uncertain future in the imperial capital. The fact that the Roman Christians were willing to travel a considerable distance to meet Paul testifies to his reputation and the esteem in which he was held by the early church.

A place on the great “Appian Way,” about 11 miles from Rome, designed for the reception of travellers, as the name indicates. Here Paul, on his way to Rome, was met by a band of Roman Christians (Acts 28:15). The “Tres Tabernae was the first mansio or mutatio, that is, halting-place for relays, from Rome, or the last on the way to the city. At this point three roads run into the Via Appia, that from Tusculum, that from Alba Longa, and that from Antium; so necessarily here would be a halting-place, which took its name from the three shops there, the general store, the blacksmith’s, and the refreshment-house...Tres Tabernae is translated as Three Taverns, but it more correctly means three shops” (Forbes’s Footsteps of St. Paul, p. 20).