It was probably in consequence of this road cut that some of the more important buildings of the imperial period were erected on the low ground near the small harbour. The construction of the coast road, the Via Severiana, from Ostia to Terracina, added to the importance of the place. The Via Appia and the Via Severiana met some few miles east of Terracina, and the Via Appia then traversed the pass of Lautulae, between the mountains and the Lake of Fondi, where the Samnites defeated the Romans with losses in 315 BC. The beauty of the promontory with its luxuriant flora and attractive view had caused it to be frequented by the Romans as early as 200 BC.