PARCO DEGLI ACQUEDOTTI

The Park of the Aqueducts is a green area of the City of Rome, in the Municipal X, being part of the Parco Regionale Suburbano dell’Appia Antica (Suburban Regional Park of the Ancient Appian Way); it is included among the Appio Claudio District, via delle Capannelle and the railway line Rome-Cassino-Naples, for an extension of 240 ha. (approx. 590 acres). The name comes from the presence on the surface and underground of seven roman and papal aqueducts that were supplying the ancient Rome: Aqua Anio Vetus (underground), Aqua Marcia, Aqua Tepula, Aqua Julia and Aqua Felice (overlapping), Aqua Claudia and Aqua Novus (overlapping). The park represents the remaining of a stretch of roman countryside that was originally extending with no interruptions between Rome and the Colli Albani. The transformation of the wonderful remaining of the “roman countryside” made of 240 ha of territory included among via del Quadraro, via delle Capannelle, via Lemonia and via Appia Nuova (New Appian Way) in the Aqueducts Park, or better yet, its inclusion in the Park of the Ancient Appian Way, should be regarded as an admirable example of civic awareness: in the 80’s, facing a state of degradation of the area, some citizens of the X district (the actual Municipal X) self-organized with the creation , in 1986, of the Committee for the Safeguard of the Park of the Aqueducts and Old Rome. Their intention was to defend the area from the massive real estate development and decay. The area, destined as a public green zone by the Piano Regolatore (Zoning Plan) of 1965, in the 70’s had been expropriated and freed by the shantytowns, the so called “borghetti” that were piling up on the Aqueduct Felice. The superintendence had arranged for the restorations to the aqueduct, but for the rest the area had remained pretty abandoned. New illegal constructions were constantly popping up in the area, so denying the enjoyment to the citizens. Also thanks to the support of some intellectuals, such as Lorenzo Quilici, the Committee managed, in 1988, in having the area of the aqueducts included in the Park of the Ancient Appian Way. 

In the area of the park there are numerous archeological remains:
Overlapping arches of the aqueducts Claudia and Anio Novus, both started by Caligula in 38 AD and terminated by Claudius in 52 AD.
Archways of the Aqueduct Felice, built by Pope Sixtus V (at birth Felice Peretti) between 1585 and 1590, who destroyed part of the Aqueduct Marcia, of which only a few remains are visible to this day.
Campo Barbarico, a piece of land between the double intersection of Aqueducts Claudia and Marcia, used in 539 by the King of the Ostrogoth, Vitiges who had Rome under siege.
Casa Cantoniera del Sellaretto (roadhouse), concerning the old railway Rome-Ceprano of 1862
Casale of Old Rome, dating back to the XIII century
Marrana dell’Acqua Mariana, artificial ditch built by Pope Callixtus II in 1122
Tomba dei Cento Scalini (Tomb of the Hundreds Steps)
Tor Fiscale, medieval tower that uses the intersection of the Aqueducts Claudia and Marcia
Villa dei Sette Bassi, the second by extension of the roman suburb, it was owned by Septimius Bassus a possible roman consul or prefect. 
Villa delle Vignacce, it was owned by Quintus Servilius Pudens. The villa had a cistern annexed to it.