Your running shoes, a camera and a sunny day are the simple ingredients you need to enjoy the city of Rome from a different view. That being said, one of the Places to visit in Rome Italy is the area that stretches along the Via Appia from the Caffarella Valley to the little town of Frattochie. This area is rich in Archeological Roman sites, among which the Parco degli Acquedotti (Park of The Aqueducts) stands out. To access the park is very easy. All you have to do is to get the subway line A, direction
Anagnina. Get off at the stop Giulio Agricola. Follow the road to the intersection with Via Lemonia. This is where our daily excursion starts. The main road, paved with asphalt, leads us towards a series of red brick arches where we find the sign “Parco degli Acquedotti”. At this point the paved road turns into a beaten path. This beautiful park has been chosen by Paolo Sorrentino to shoot some of the scenes of “The Great Beauty” awarded with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014. The Park offers several trails amongst all its greenery. I chose to follow itinerary no. 6 as appointed by “National Park of Appia Antica” (Parco Nazionale dell’Appia Antica). This itinerary hosts some of the Roman aqueducts like Claudio, Anio Nuovo, Marci and Anio Vestus. Those who, like me, are not deep into the history of the aqueducts can find more information in the useful guide that can be downloaded online. This guide will be helpful in fully enjoying this excursion. Briefly we can say that these aqueducts, which, when they were built by the Romans reached the centre of the city, and still probably end there nowadays, provided the city with daily supplies of clean water.
Even in the following centuries and through the middle ages, they have been upgraded and regularly used. Our visit allows us to see and visit 7 of the Roman aqueducts. The tour covers the length of 3 km, approx. a 2.5 hour walk. We suggest arranging this visit in advance since some areas of the park have an entrance fee and must be pre booked. If you are not archaeology and architecture enthusiasts, I would recommend that you visit, as I did, just the public areas of the Park of the Aqueducts, and you will still see many ancient ruins and admire these Places to visit in Rome Italy in all their beauty without paying any entrance fees.
You can admire all the grandeur of the Ancient Romans here. Walking along these tall walls will easily take you back in time. Some of the aqueducts are still tall, well preserved and visible. Others instead run under the ground and give life to some small creeks and lakes. The big open spaces allow the park to be used by those who like running, walking or cycling and enjoy nature in this lesser known place in Rome. And if you see a little white ball fly by, don’t worry; it is coming from the golf course close by! I would suggest visiting the park in the morning and during the week to fully enjoy its beauty and tranquility. Why don’t you bring a typical sandwich and also a bottle of fresh Italian beer (luckily in Italy you are still allowed to drink alcohol in public). You have just discovered a different corner of Rome!
