Area of historical interest, Sasso Marconi
The Roman Empire has left inedible signs in Humanity’s history. To the Roman Empire we owe the modern concept of civilization, applied to all its vast domains.
Many of the artworks by Romans thousands of years ago still stand in our modern cities. Among them, the aqueducts, masterpieces that brought water into the cities.
The aqueducts were built with specific and precise degrees of inclination. If the level was too low, the flow would stop, and the water would stagnate becoming unhealthy; on the other hand, if the inclination was too high, the water would flow with an excessive speed, damaging the pipes.
Each and every remaining piece of an aqueduct is therefore a living witness of one of the greatest artworks of the Roman Empire. The one in Sasso Marconi, near Bologna inside the Oasi di San Gherardo, is one of them.
The Aqueduct of Sasso Marconi presents unique features. It’s in fact a whole tunnel excavated in the sandstone hills of the Apennines, probably by the hands of slaves and over a period of 10 to 15 years.
Its main entrance is on the right bank of the river Setta, and from here on it continues for over 19 km inside the rocks. The most surprising detail is that it is still working.
The aqueduct was neglected in the past centuries. After the barbaric invasions, most of the roman buildings were abandoned, as they did not serve the needs of the new European cultures.
Although it suffered the same fate, the aqueduct was never completely forgotten and during the amendments of the Italian State, the tunnel was restored to its original function (1883).
It still provides almost a fifth of the total water need of the city of Bologna.
