The Aqueduct of Nepi was completed in the early 18th century, although construction had started much earlier. It took several architects before they came up with a working plan. The picturesque aqueduct consists of two rows of rather slender arches built on top of each other. The monument is still in use.
Aqueduct Nepi
Useful information
Address: Strada Regionale, snc – Nepi. The monument can be seen from outside.
History and Description
Several architects were hired to build the Aqueduct of Nepi, but initially none of them managed to get water to the city.
Construction of the aqueduct began in 1559. Brick conduits brought the water from the source at Varano to the hill outside the city walls.
Even the famous Giacomo Barozzi, nicknamed Vignola, who was hired in 1563 to bring water to inside the city walls, failed in his task.
It was finally Filippo Barigioni who, in 1702, commissioned by Cardinal Giuseppe Renato Imperiali, developed the system with the large arches that can still be seen today. The construction was completed in 1727.
Barigioni was also responsible for the monumental “show fountain” under the portico of the Palazzo Comunale in the main square of Nepi.
Most of the aqueduct of Nepi is underground. The visible part is a stretch of around 285 meters. The monument consists of two levels of arches. The number of arches is 36.
Before the aqueduct was constructed, the inhabitants of Nepi was dependent on cisterns, where rain water was caught.