Construction on the 4km long Aqueduct of Perugia to take water from Monte Pacciano to the Fontana Maggiore began in 1254 and was completed in 1280. An extraordinary feat of hydraulic engineering, it forced the water through a pipeline thereby managing to move it in the reverse direction without using pumps or other equipment. Having fallen into disuse by the first half of the 19th century, the last part of the construction, which reaches the city before the underground passage beneath the cathedral, was transformed into a picturesque walkway that provides an easy link from the borgo of Porta Sant’Angelo to the historical centre. The walkway comprises a bridge with ten spans of round arches and an added parapet. Many residential buildings leant up against the construction, with high altitude entrances, and their presence does not alter the monumental structure but makes the pedestrian path one of the most characteristic of the city’s streets. The open-air path comes to an end at the section which marks the beginning of the last underground stretch, coinciding with the Via Appia, which once went all the way to the fountain.
Fondazione Umbria Film Commission
Via M. Angeloni 61 — 06124 Perugia
Phone: 075-5045878
Email: info@umbriafilmcommission.com
