Parco degli Acquedotti – a place untouched by time
If the sand and the hot bore you and your are more a city person than a sea one, well, this article suits perfectly you. What’s better than a relaxing and regenerating park to chill during your vacations or spare time? The Parco degli Acquedotti is part of the Appia Antica Regional Park and is located in the south-east part of Rome and is delimited by via Capannelle, via Appia Nuova, via Lemonia e via del Quadraro.
This public park of Rome is of approximately 240 ha. and is named after the aqueducts that go through it. It is crossed on one side by the Aqua Felix and includes also a fraction of the Aqua Claudia and the ruins of Villa delle Vignacce. You can spot also a short fragment of the original Roman Via Latina. Even though it is just 8 kilometers far from the centre of the eternal city, the park has been protected from development and retains a rustic aspect. This thing confers a peculiar nature to this attraction of the city. Indeed in the southern and eastern parts of the park crops are still grown and sheeps are put on pasture, as you can notice.
Either due to its vicinity to Rome’s movie studios of Cinecittà, or for its charming and evocative nature, the park is often used as a set for films. Maybe one of the the most memorable scenes is the opening shot of La Dolce Vita where we see a statue of Christ suspended from a helicopter flying along the Aqua Claudia. But also more recently the parco degli Acquedotti has been a movie location. Consider that the open scene of Sorrentino’s Oscar winning The Great Beauty is staged here, perhaps as a quote of the above-mentioned masterpiece.
It is part of the Appian Way Regional Park, a unique park with a very ample extension that has been instituted in 1988 to preserve the numerous monuments and archaeological, artistic and historical complexes present in it. In addition the purpose of this micro natural world inside Rome is to safeguard and to enhance the fauna, flora and hydrogeological resources for cultural and scientific aims.
Go there and suddenly you’ll find yourself immersed into a green ecosystem that could appear very far from the metropolis although is right inside Rome. You’ll be struck by the remains of the original Roman aqueducts, an attraction that time left untouched. Its surface measures 3.500 hectares, of whom 16 kilometers include Appian Way, Caffarella valley and the archaeological area of the acquedotti. The park is reachable by the subway: stations Lucio Sestio and Giulio Agricola (A line).
Ideal for picnics, day trips, sport, dog walking and why not, a romantic walk with your loved one, this park is a very gem enclosed in Rome and worths absolutely a visit. Book a tour with us to discover the the queen of modern highways, the Appian Way, one of the earliest and strategically most important Ancient Rome roads connecting Lazio to Apulia. The favorite of Grand Tour travelers, it still today offers forgotten sights and atmospheres.
