The New York Times celebrates the Aqua Marcia Aqueduct with a long article by David Laskin. In fact, the author followed its path, above and below ground, starting from the Park of the Aqueducts, where the remains of the arches of six of the 11 aqueducts that once supplied the city of Rome are located.
The Roman aqueduct of Acqua Marcia was the longest among those in Rome and the third in chronological order. Built by the praetor Quinto Marcio Re in 144 BC, the aqueduct was fed by the sources of the Aqua Marcia in the upper Aniene valley, near Arsoli, enjoying a reputation for excellent water since ancient times. The length of the aqueduct was 61,710 Roman miles, corresponding to just over 91 km; the route - for about 80 km - was partly underground, and partly on arches. Today, the low arches of this monumental work remain visible in some sections close to the city. In the 16th century, long sections of the aqueduct were destroyed and its pillars used as a foundation for the Felice Aqueduct by Pope Sixtus V. Its arches are still visible in Tor Fiscale, at Mandrione and between Porta Maggiore and Porta Tiburtina.
The Marcia water reached 10 regiones; the Caelius and Aventine were fed by the rivus Herculaneus, which separated from the main branch just before Porta Tiburtina and, through an underground conduit, reached Porta Capena.
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