Advertisement
Published: July 28th 2011
Saturday
Lazy start to the morning, after breakfast my first stop was the internet cafe to do a little house keeping and catchup on any news I may need to know. I had received a pesky email from Ryan Air trying to temp me with el cheapo flights all over Europe. Their strategy was good as before I had left the cafe I had booked and paid for a flight from Fez to Madrid for the end of July. A cheap flight to visit my friends Dean and Alex seemed to good to pass up.
My destination today is the Aquaduct Park which is just on the outskirts of Rome and very easily reachable via the metro. Again this was a destination that I stole from a blog I found on the internet and credit goes to www.roninrome.com
It's another really hot day and I was happy to be able to walk in the shade of the actual aquaduct to stay a little out of the sun which was beating down on all and sundry. This is a really nice park area and although I looked like the only tourist visiting today there seemed to be plenty of
Romans out enjoying this sunny Saturday. Some just lazing, others picnicing and some crazies even jogging in the midday sun, it was nice to see that at least the area is utilized by the locals.
The park actually hosts seven Roman aqueducts: Marcio, Anio Novus, Tepula, Mariana, Claudio, Iulia and Felice. These aqueducts took advantage of the natural hills of the area to bring water into the city. The Aqua Claudio reached a height of 28 meters. It was built around 52 D and named after the emperor Claudio who inaugurated it. This aqueduct was also nicknamed “magnificentissimus” due to the excellent quality of the water provided!
By far the Aqua Claudio is the most impressive and the one you want to see! On top of the Aqua Claudio ran the Anio Novus. The Aqua Mariana is a ditch that you will only find if you are looking for it (and know exactly WHERE to look). It carried the water of the Aqua Iulia and the Aqua Tepula. With the exception of this ditch, nothing can be really be seen of these three. The Aqua Marcio has largely vanished. Most of its length as you got closer to
Rome was replaced by the “newer” Aqua Felice of Pope Sixtus V.
I had bought a sandwich lunch with me (still eating leftovers from yesterday's feast) and had filled a bottle of water from one of the fountains before I got on the metro. So I found a shady spot under an arch and drank in the aquaductness that surrounded me!
After a little snooze I decided to head back. As there was still a few hours of daylight left, I decided to stay on the metro past my stop and go to a part of Rome where I had not yet ventured. I saw on my map a place called Piazza Del Popolo that sounded interesting and had a metro stop leading right to it.
I was in fact a huge square that was teaming with tourists, this was Saturday after all, but the crowds I think had something to do with the shopping streets that led off this plaza. There is a giant Egyptian Obelisk that dominated the square and the surrounding buildings were impressive also. I do love Rome, as it is a wonderful place just to roam around and see
new things. The only thing you need to purchase every now and then is an ice cream to keep you going as the water from the fountains is drinkable and free.
I meandered the shopping streets which were lined with designer stores, definitely not my type of shopping but it was nice just to walk along the pedestrian mall and enjoy the shade and watch and listen to the people passing me. I reckon by the time I had walked 200 meters I had heard about 25 different languages being spoken. Rome is popular with everyone!
After walking a little way I was soon in familiar territory surrounded by familiar sights. It had cooled down a little so I decided to walk back to the hostel the long way via the Coloseum.
Close to my hostel I stopped at a cafe for an average pasta meal and an over price glass of beer but decided I had earnt it - it had been a big day!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.082s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 9; qc: 46; dbt: 0.0546s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Donna Foster
non-member comment
Rome
Hi Cindy loved to read your relaxed 'tour' of Rome. Sounds a whole lot different to the 'whirlwind' tour we did together in 1992. Enjoy. Donna