Aqua Virgo tra età antica e contemporanea. Testimonianze archeologiche, studi storico archivistici e considerazioni sulla tutela, sulla conservazione, sulla valorizzazione e la fruizione dell’infrastruttura

Aqua Virgo has left few visible traces on the surface, however the underground channel has ensured its continuous activity and preserved it from the test of time. On one hand, even if the visual impact of the Virgo is inevitably much lower than that of the aqueducts with monumental arches, it has consistently represented a significant element of the landscape and played a strategic role for the water supply of Rome throughout the centuries. On the other hand, the almost entirely underground route, as well as the constant presence of water, has made access into the aqueduct either challenging or impossible. Hence, even when previous inspections were conducted, the aim was to investigate the general state of the channel and to ensure regular maintenance. Consequently, Aqua Virgo has usually been studied in relation to its practical and technological qualities instead of its archaeological and historical aspects. However, in the past two decades, a more interdisciplinary approach has developed, which has ensured that the Roman aqueducts are researched both as important pieces of infrastructure as well as monuments worthy of admiration. Besides, new technologies facilitate the ability to investigate these channels in ways that have previously been deemed unfeasible. It is within this multidisciplinary framework that the following thesis intends to analyse in a systematic way the Aqua Virgo from its initial construction in the I century B.C. until modern days. The attention is focused both on underground stretches and on superficial remains in order to distinguish the original parts still standing from those restored and transformed throughout time. Through the study of literary and antiquarian sources, the analysis of archival and archaeological documents, combined with field walking surveys and speleological inspections of the channel, it has been possible to acquire a better topographical awareness of the aqueduct, its water intake systems, and its route towards Rome. Furthermore, with the application of geoarchaeological, geophysical, and archaeometric methods, a deeper and more whole comprehension of the diachronic transformations of Aqua Virgo has been achieved.