I never gave much thought to aqueducts, or fountains for that matter, before coming to Rome. I…read morecouldn't have drawn a picture of one, and I wouldn't have guessed what the Roman aqueducts looked like--these beautiful connected arches that seem like storybook illustrations of ancient Rome.
Several of them remain standing in the Parco degli Acquedotti, or Park of the Aqueducts, an absolutely unreal place. The park is part of the larger Appian Way Regional Park, and we visited in the course of an Appian Way bike tour that took us across the ancient road. By the time we got to the aqueducts, we were about five miles from central Rome, and I'm really glad we made the excursion.
Rome wasn't crowded when we went, in November, but I was still stunned by how quiet it was at the aqueduct park. It felt like we had the place more or less to ourselves, with just a smattering of other visitors enjoying some time outdoors. I guess the park is quite spacious, so even boy and girl scout troops (we saw two groups of them now that I think of it, adorable uniformed Italian children) kind of blended into the scenery. I do think the location might keep the crowds thin, and I suspect this would be an extra lovely place to visit during peak tourist season, to escape the crush of Rome's historic center. I get the sense that locals spend time here, too, which is not generally true of Rome's salient historic attractions. They seem to use the park as a park.
The scenery is truly incredible, the sky and trees and those amazing aqueducts. There's a little pond too, with turtles and carp, and a short, well-preserved stretch of the original Via Latina, a Roman road from the 3rd century BC. Throughout the park are nice, smooth paths for easy walking and biking. I doubt I'll ever forget cruising among the aqueducts, the wonder and the serenity of that singular experience. If you're spending any amount of time in Rome, I can't recommend the Parco degli Acquedotti enough.
