The Caroline Aqueduct of Caserta

The Caroline Aqueduct of Caserta, also known as Vanvitelli aqueduct, is near the Caserta city centre, in the Maddaloni valley. It is an important and perfectly preserved slice of history that is definitely worth a visit.

The Caroline aqueduct of Caserta was requested by King Carlo di Borbone, that asked Vanvitelli to design an aqueduct that could supply water to both the Reggia di Caserta (Caserta’s Mansion) and the surrounding area.

The construction of the majestic aqueduct begun in 1750 and ended in 1770: it took more than 16 years to build an unrivalled work of hydraulic engineering, that included the bridge over the Maddaloni Valley, that was the longest bridge in Europe being 529 metres long and 55 metres high.

The majestic tuff bridge, that is a squared plan bridge with arches, was designed after the ancient Roman aqueducts, and supports the entire 38 km water system that collects water from the springs of the Taburno Mount by means of underground iron pipes.

Besides the Bridge over the Maddaloni Valley, that is in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Caroline Aqueduct also includes two more bridges: the Ponte Nuovo (New Bridge) that is between Moiano and Bucciano, and the Ponte della Valle di Durazzano (Durazzano Valley’s Bridge), also known as the “big tower’s tuff”, that is a 60 metres long bridge joining the SP Durazzano-Sant’Agata de’ Goti provincial road.

From the Caserta train station, right outside the Reggia (Mansion), take one of the line 1, 104 and 102 buses leading to the Caroline Aqueduct.