One of the things I enjoy about visiting Lucca is that despite multiple trips over the last 20 years there is always something new to discover.
The eye-catching structure demands attention, and I have often driven under it, but I didn’t really think to dig deeper into the origins of the L’acquedotto del Nottolini – the engineering marvel which transported water from the hills surrounding Lucca and which supplied the city’s many public wells and private homes.
And after stumbling upon a wonderful blog post on My Kind of Italy, which outlines the history of the aqueduct and a pleasant five mile walk along its route, I took the opportunity to break out from the historic city walls and climb over the hills to enjoy a well-deserved lunch in Vorno – the source of the water springs which still supply Lucca to this day.
Designed by local boy Lorenzo Nottolini and started in 1832, the aqueduct was completed in 1851 and has more than 400 brick and masonry arches stretching over 3km from the hills to the south of the city.
Water collected from mountain springs around Vorno was transported through a system of cisterns, stone conduits and tanks until reaching San Concordio on the outskirts of Lucca, where a pipe network took the water first to the charming fountain at Piazza Antelminelli next to the Duomo (surprise!) and then distributed to other wells around the city.
The flow of water was governed entirely by gravity but the handsome acqueduct’s life was cut short in 1923 when dictator Mussolini demolished part of it to allow the construction of the A11 autostrada for Florence. Then, in 1944 as the German Army retreated, it blew up arches to block the road and slow the advance of Allied troops.
Lucca’s fountains are still pouring pure hill water from Vorno but it is now transported by a more modern underground piping system.
The walk itself? Beautiful, tranquil and worth the climb for the stunning views over to Lucca – and of course the fine lunch awaiting at the other end.
Despite the best efforts of the staff at Dello Scompiglio, we were unable to get a taxi back to Lucca. But as luck would have it, as I sat outside fumbling on my phone, one of the waiting staff said he was heading back to Lucca after his shift and would drop us off at the railway station. Grazie Federico!
Highly recommend doing the walk for an alternative day out of Lucca and for more detailed info visit My Kind of Italy.