Acqua Pia Antica Marcia
Encyclopedia
The Acqua Pia Antica Marcia or Aqua Pia was an aqueduct
in Rome
. It was first built as a restoration of the classical Aqua Marcia
by Luigi Canina
, commissioned by Pope Pius IX
. Its city terminus was the "Fountain of the Naiads" in the Piazza Esedra.
The Acqua Pia Antica Marcia SpA society was formed in 1868 to manage and sell the waters of this aqueduct - this society was for a long time one of the main water suppliers to Rome, and still manages some fountains and drains. This proved necessary with Rome's population expansion at this period but the infrastructure's expansion was not achieved without resistance - moves to create a secondary source for the aqueduct, in the commune of Agosto, led to its residents organizing a guerrilla army which stopped the society from creating this new source until the end of the Second World War.
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. It was first built as a restoration of the classical Aqua Marcia
Aqua Marcia
The Aqua Marcia was the longest of the 11 aqueducts that supplied the city of ancient Rome. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long stretches along the route of the Aqua Marcia....
by Luigi Canina
Luigi Canina
Luigi Canina was an Italian archaeologist and architect.Luigi Canina, Italian architect and archeologist, was born in Casale Monferrato in 1795 and died in Florence in 1856. He was a pupil of F. Bonsignore in Turin, and settled in Rome in 1818...
, commissioned by Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
. Its city terminus was the "Fountain of the Naiads" in the Piazza Esedra.
The Acqua Pia Antica Marcia SpA society was formed in 1868 to manage and sell the waters of this aqueduct - this society was for a long time one of the main water suppliers to Rome, and still manages some fountains and drains. This proved necessary with Rome's population expansion at this period but the infrastructure's expansion was not achieved without resistance - moves to create a secondary source for the aqueduct, in the commune of Agosto, led to its residents organizing a guerrilla army which stopped the society from creating this new source until the end of the Second World War.