Area of historical interest, Sasso Marconi
In the Oasi di San Gherardo in Sasso Marconi, near Bologna, there is an aqueduct of Roman origin with unique features that is still perfectly working today. The Sasso Marconi aqueduct supplies the city of Bologna with about one fifth of its total water needs, drawing water from the Setta river.
The aqueduct tunnel was built by digging the rock by hand. It probably took between 10 and 15 years to complete the work. The tunnel perforates the sandstone and clay hills of the Apennines for about 19 kilometres, starting from the right bank of the Setta river.
Following the Barbarian Invasions, the Roman Aqueduct was abandoned as it was no longer useful for the needs of the populations of northern Europe. Thus, for centuries the infrastructure stopped functioning until its restoration in modern times.
The memory of its existence never faded, but it was not until 1883, after the Unification of Italy, that the aqueduct was put back into operation.
Aqueducts in the Roman Empire
The imprint of the Roman Empire on human history is indelible. For instance, we owe the Romans the birth of the modern concept of civilisation, which was not only applied on our peninsula but in all the territories they controlled.
Moreover, many of the works built by the Romans thousands of years ago have survived to the present day, including aqueducts that managed to bring water to even the largest metropolises of the time.
The aqueducts were built according to a precise calculation of inclination, so that the water would reach the city with the right pressure. If the inclination was poor, the water risked stagnating, while if it was excessive, the water could damage the pipes due to high velocity.
