Historical photo of the Peschiera Aqueduct

The history of the Peschiera Aqueduct:
over a century of water

The story of an Italian engineering feat

From the springs of Mount Nuria to the heart of Rome: more than a century of engineering, vision and sacrifice to bring water of exceptional purity to millions of people. This is the story of one of the largest spring-fed aqueducts in the world.

The aqueduct in numbers

~130 km

of tunnels bored through the heart of the Apennines

14,000 l/s

average flow rate

118 years

since the first study in 1908

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Under the administration of Mayor Ernesto Nathan, engineer Gaetano Roselli Lorenzini began the first studies to abstract exceptionally pure water from the springs of the Peschiera River, at the foot of Mount Nuria. The idea of a major new aqueduct for Rome was born.

Photograph of the interior of the Peschiera spring, with water flowing silently beneath a natural rock arch. Taken with a long exposure, the image captures the brightness and purity of the water at its source. Year: 1908.

On 11 January, tunnel excavation work officially began in the heart of the central Apennines, under the direction of AGEA (Azienda Governatoriale dell’Elettricità e delle Acque). This marked the start of one of the country’s most ambitious engineering undertakings.

A group of eight men in formal attire and hats, some sitting on a low wall and others standing, during an inspection of the Peschiera Aqueduct construction site. In the background, a hilly landscape. Year: 1938.

The first 26 km section of the aqueduct was inaugurated, together with the underground hydroeletric power plant in Salisano: an unprecedented facility in Europe, which still generates power today by harnessing the water's natural difference in elevation.

Construction of a bridge over the Peschiera Aqueduct, 1940. The image shows the reinforced concrete piers and the arch structure being assembled, with wooden scaffolding still in place and construction materials on the riverbed.

At the end of the Second World War, work resumed under the management of the newly established ACEA, with state funding of 1.5 billion lire. This marked a new phase of construction that would lead to the completion of the project.

Workers are installing wooden formwork for the construction of a concrete pipeline. In the foreground are the curved ribs of the structure; in the background is the entrance to a tunnel dug into the ground. Year: 1945.

The President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi, officially inaugurated the aqueduct by activating the monumental terminal fountain (fontana mostra) in Piazzale degli Eroi. The toast was made with the same glass used by Pope Pius IX to celebrate the Acqua Pia Marcia in 1870: a symbolic gesture connecting modern Rome to its millennia-old tradition.

A panoramic view of the valley showing the completed Peschiera Aqueduct viaduct, which crosses a stream in open farmland. In the background, the silhouette of the Apennine hills. Year: 1949.

As Rome expanded, demand for water increased. A second branch of the lower section of the aqueduct was built, running 33 km along the left bank of the Tiber, along with new water distribution centres across the capital’s districts. The total flow rate reached 9.5 cubic metres per second.

An ACEA worker standing inside one of the large reinforced concrete pipes intended for the expansion of the Peschiera Aqueduct, to give a sense of scale. The words “ACEA 69” are visible on the pipe. 1966–1971.

To further strengthen the system, a 7 km tunnel was built to connect the aqueduct to the Le Capore springs in Frasso Sabino. The Peschiera Aqueduct was no longer alone: the integrated Peschiera-Capore system was born.

Interior of a tunnel in the Peschiera Aqueduct featuring a masonry barrel vault. In the center of the frame, a handwheel valve and a metal pipe extending toward the illuminated end of the tunnel. Year: 1975.

With the final facility coming into operation, the system reached a flow rate of 14,000 litres per second. The Peschiera-Capore system officially became one of the world's largest aqueducts supplied exclusively by spring water.

A double overhead pipeline of the Peschiera Aqueduct, supported by concrete pillars, crossing a green, hilly landscape. In the background, the entrance to a tunnel is visible. Year: 1980.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the start of construction, Acea celebrated the history of the aqueduct with a major exhibition at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. A monument dedicated to those who contributed to its construction was inaugurated at Castel Sant’Angelo.

The Peschiera Aqueduct intake facility on a summer day. In the foreground, a collection basin with a red metal structure and a control gate; in the background, a row of poplar trees and the Apennine hills. Year 2018.

The tender for the doubling of the upper section was issued: 27 km of new tunnels will run alongside the original ones. With an investment of €1.5 billion, also financed through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), it is Europe's largest water infrastructure project. The future of Rome’s water begins today.

The Peschiera plant seen from above, nestled in the wooded landscape of the Apennines.
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For more than eighty years, the water flowing from the Peschiera springs has crossed the Apennines without requiring any drinking-water treatment.

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Frequently Asked Questions about the project

 

We answer the most frequently asked questions about the New Upper Section of the Peschiera Aqueduct: route, municipalities along the route, construction site management, timeline, and the expected investment.

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