Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Troubles
Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Troubles Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct built in Rome, began supplying the men and women living in the hills with water in 273 BC, though they had relied on natural springs up till then. During this period, there were only two other systems capable of supplying water to higher areas, subterranean wells and cisterns, which amassed rainwater. From the early sixteenth century, water was routed to Pincian Hill through the underground channel of Acqua Vergine. Throughout the time of its initial construction, pozzi (or manholes) were placed at set intervals along the aqueduct’s channel. Whilst these manholes were provided to make it easier to protect the aqueduct, it was also feasible to use containers to extract water from the channel, which was carried out by Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi from the time he obtained the property in 1543 to his passing in 1552. It seems that, the rainwater cistern on his property wasn’t good enough to meet his needs.
That is when he made a decision to create an access point to the aqueduct that ran underneath his property.
Where did Large Garden Fountains Begin?
Where did Large Garden Fountains Begin? The incredible construction of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complete your home.The central purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional.
People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Until the late nineteenth, century most water fountains functioned using the force of gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. Fountains enjoyed a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to exalt their positions by adding beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. The creation of special water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational activities.