Aqueduct Park in Rome

In Rome for a tourist. We'll tell you how to get there, what to do in the park and what to pay attention to.

To be honest, I have a weakness for ancient engineering structures. Five years ago I made a special trip from to to look at the ruins of an ancient amphitheater. Two years ago I spent hours walking near . So in Rome he continued the tradition. Fortunately there are ruins here. They are everywhere, but the aqueduct park beckoned me. That's why.

What is hidden in the Aqueduct Park in Rome?

In the southeastern part of Rome there is a park where the ruins of 7 ancient aqueducts are preserved (on the map). There were 11 of them in total and they provided the capital of the empire with fresh water from the nearby mountains. The following have survived to this day:

  1. Anio Vetus
    The water pipeline in Rome is 64 kilometers long. Second oldest. It was built between 272 and 269 BC. Remember the common phrase about the “Pyrrhic victory”? So, the Romans got money for construction after the victory over that same King Pyrrhus.
  2. Aqua Marcia
    The third Roman aqueduct in chronology and the first in length. It takes water from the Anio River, which is 91 kilometers from the capital of Italy.
  3. Aqua Tepula
    Small aqueduct. Built in 125 BC. Its trick is that it supplied warm water to the city.
  4. Aqua Julia
    The aqueduct is 23 kilometers long. He supplied the city hills of Caelius and Aventine with water from the Alban Mountains.
  5. Aqua Felice
    Pope Sixtus V built this aqueduct in 1586 to bring drinking water to his villa on a Roman hill.
  6. Aqua Claudia
    The Roman Emperor Caligula began building the aqueduct in 38, and Emperor Claudius completed it 14 years later. Part of the same aqueduct can be seen in the Porta Maggiore gate. Previously, they were part of a water-carrying structure.
  7. Anio Novus
    The 87-kilometer aqueduct supplied Rome with muddy water, so it first settled in special pools and only then reached the townspeople.


What to do in the Aqueduct Park in Rome

  • Have a picnic
    Buy food at the nearest supermarket and go to the park for lunch. Ancient ruins will suggest topics for intimate conversations.
  • Go for a run
    The park has paths, it is quite large, and thanks to the ancient ruins it is not boring to run around.
  • Organize a photo shoot
    It is impossible to find a similar park in the world. And this is not just a beautiful turn of phrase, it is true. Photos of ancient aqueducts will decorate the collection of any traveler.
  • Come watch the sunset
    You can watch the sunset in the Aqueduct Park. The sun sets directly behind one of the beautiful arched structures.


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