The Anio Novus Aqueduct is one of the longest aqueducts in Rome. Its source is the river Aniene near the city of Subiaco.
Anio Novus Aqueduct Rome
History and description
Already in the 3rd century BC there was an Aqua Anio aqueduct. When the new one was built it simply came to be called the “new Anio” (Anio Novus) and the earlier one became thus the Anio Vetus.
Construction was begun by Caligula in the year 38 AD and finished by Claudius in 52 AD.
The Anio Novus Aqueduct has a length of 87km (roughly 54 miles).
Its highest arches are in the Capanelle area. This is also where its water was kept, in a pool called the Piscina Liminaria.
From here the flow continued, using the arches of the Aqua Claudia Aqueduct to reach its destination at the Spes Vetus. Since they had simply built another canal on top of this Aqua Claudia repairs were often necessary.
The final reservoir was destroyed in a fire in 1880.
Since the water did not come from a spring but directly from the river its quality was rather low. Accordingly the Emperor Trajan later started using another source, a lake near the city of Trevi (then Treba Augusta).