Roman Aqueduct

Ciao Steemians!

The Roman Acqui Terme's aqueduct is one of the best preserved in Northern Italy, located just outside downtown next to Bormida river side. From the studies conducted so far it has emerged that it dates back to the first century AD I was lucky enough to sleep next to it as I could see it from the flat's terrace I rented during my vacation.

The aqueduct route is going on for a total length of about 12 km with a drop that starts at about 185 meters up to 135 meters. The implant ran through a path for most of the Erro valley where is still possible to follow the entire route. He provided water for some municipalities of Cartosio and Milazzo cities.

Of the original structure are still present in good condition two separate sections, arranged in a north-east/south-west direction. On the seven pillars there are still four round arches, one of these was entirely rebuilt in masonry during the restorations carried out at the end of the 19th century. The height of the pylons is just over 17 meters, with a light of just under 7 meters.

The second section is located further north and only fragments of eight support pylons remain, the upper arches have been completely lost, restoration works have occurred frequently after its construction, the most important was carried out at the end of the 19th century, as already mentioned before, compromised by numerous collapses and repeated flooding of the Bormida river. On that occasion, large portions of the masonry of the pylons and arches were rebuilt, using light-colored bricks with which to recall the natural color of the limestone, allowing however to keep the integrated parts distinct.

The outlet of the underground duct has a constant inclination of about 1.6 meters per kilometer, to not slow down the regular flow of water. A considerable problem was the river crossing, which was the main natural obstacle to reaching the town.

The solution adopted by the Roman engineers had the merit of solving the problems related to the difficulty of construction due to the surrounding natural barriers in a simple and effective manner. Scholars think that originally the elevated structure consisted of at least forty pylons, it also appears quite probable that it should continue to the interior of the city, even if there are no reliable data in this regard.

The information collected in this article was taken from the explanatory signs found in front of the aqueduct, the photographs were taken entirely by me.

Thanks for watching and reading, a big hug and see you soon!