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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

A walk to Porta Furba A Walk to Porta Furba

Porta means gate so one may believe Porta Furba to be one of the gates of Rome. It is and it is not. It is a gate in the sense that it looks like a gate, but the walls of Rome are miles away. The walk starts at the junction between Via Appia Pignatelli and Via Appia Nuova (N. 1 in the map below), reaches Porta Furba (2 in the map) and then follows the aqueduct built by Pope Sixtus V (Acqua Felice) to finish near S. Croce in Gerusalemme (N. 3 in the map).



(the two asterisks in the map refer to another walk: Via Appia Antica from Torre in Selci to Frattocchie).

Via Appia Pignatelli

Appia Pignatelli

Via Appia Pignatelli (after Antonio Pignatelli, Pope Innocentius XII) was built for the Jubilee of 1700 to provide a link between the initial part of Via Appia Antica and Via Appia Nuova. The coat of arms at the junction with Via Appia Nuova celebrates the opening of the road.

Tempio della Salute

Tempio della Salute

Tempio della Salute is the name given by Giovanni Battista Piranesi to a IInd century AD Roman funerary monument along Via Appia Nuova at approximately one mile from its junction with Via Appia Pignatelli. The comparison between the etching by Piranesi and the actual monument shows how Piranesi emphasized the size of the ancient buildings but was very accurate in showing exactly the details of the decoration.

Acquedotto Claudio

Aqueduct of Claudius

The ruins of the aqueducts were a common feature of all paintings showing the Roman countryside. In particular the ruins of the aqueduct started by Caligula and completed by Claudius are impressive. They are the final part of two aqueducts Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus bringing water to Rome from springs near Subiaco in the Appennines.

Acquedotto Felice

Acqueduct of Sixtus V

This aqueduct was built by Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti) immediately after his election. He did not restore a previous Roman aqueduct, however he made some use of Acquedotto Claudio. Acqua Felice did not need to be too high above the ground so the two aqueducts run parallel with occasional crossings.

Porta Furba


Porta Furba

At the crossing of Via Tuscolana Pope Sixtus V erected a triumphal arch to celebrate his aqueduct, which, by bringing water to the northern hills of Rome (Esquilino, Viminale, Quirinale), helped their development and increased the value of his large estate (Villa Montalto) located between S. Maria Maggiore and Termini.

Details

In 1733 Cardinal Passerini rebuilt a part of the aqueduct which had collapsed and celebrated this restoration with an elegant fountain, crowned by the coat of arms of Pope Clemens XII. In the picture you can also see the lion of Pope Sixtus V.

Towards Rome

Towards Rome

After Porta Furba the aqueduct becomes part of Rome. Immediately after World War II its arches were used to build some small unauthorized houses, which were later on pulled down. The aqueduct becomes part of the walls of Rome between Porta Maggiore and Porta S. Giovanni.

The walls