Caroline Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, Campania, Italy

The Caroline Aqueduct (Acquedotto Carolino), also called the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, carries water 38 km from the Fizzo springs at the foot of Mount Taburno, near Bucciano in the province of Benevento, to the Royal Palace of Caserta. King Charles of Bourbon, after whom it is named, commissioned it from Luigi Vanvitelli, the architect of the palace, to feed the fountains and cascades of the royal park and the silk works of San Leucio. Work began in March 1753, the aqueduct was inaugurated on 7 May 1762, and the whole system took about 17 years and 622,424 ducats to complete.

Most of the conduit runs underground, marked by 67 small towers that served as vents and inspection points, and it crosses valleys on several bridges. The most famous is the Ponti della Valle at Valle di Maddaloni, a tuff bridge with three tiers of arches on 44 square piers, 529 metres long and up to 55.8 metres high, modelled on Roman aqueducts. When it was built it was the longest bridge in Europe, and it has since survived three strong earthquakes. Since 1997 the aqueduct has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and the San Leucio Complex.

Visitor Information

The Ponti della Valle stand right beside the SS265 road between Maddaloni and Valle di Maddaloni, and the arches can be seen free of charge from the roadside and the meadows below. There is no ticket office or visitor centre at the bridge. Morning and late-afternoon light brings out the warm colour of the tuff.

The aqueduct ends in the park of the Royal Palace of Caserta, where its water feeds the Great Cascade and the long chain of fountains and pools. A full ticket for the Royal Apartments, the park and the English Garden costs €18, and the park and English Garden alone cost €9 (plus €1 when booked online); EU visitors aged 18 to 24 pay €2 and under-18s enter free. The palace is closed on Tuesdays, 1 January and 25 December, and entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.

The Ponti della Valle are about 10 km by road east of the Royal Palace of Caserta and about 40 km north-east of Naples, so a car is the easiest way to get there. Caserta station, opposite the Royal Palace, is served by regional and high-speed trains from Naples, and from there a taxi to the aqueduct takes about 15–20 minutes. Many visitors see the aqueduct and the Royal Palace on the same day.