Aqueduct of Nottolini, Neoclassical aqueduct between Lucca and Capannori, Italy.
The Aqueduct of Nottolini is a stone structure with over 400 arches extending roughly 3 kilometers through the Tuscan countryside, carrying water in an elevated channel above the landscape. The system connects springs in the mountains to water tanks serving the city of Lucca, with entry points at the temple-cistern in Guamo and the temple-tank at San Concordio.
Construction began in 1823 under engineer Lorenzo Nottolini and took nearly 30 years to complete in 1851 during the reign of Maria Luisa of Spain. This extended timeline shows how difficult it was to build such a large system across the countryside with the technologies available at the time.
The structure reflects 19th-century ambitions to modernize water supply, with its arches becoming a familiar sight in the landscape for generations of local residents. Walking its length, you encounter traces of how this engineering work shaped daily routines and the relationship between city and countryside.
A walking path runs along the aqueduct's full length, making it easy to explore the structure on foot at your own pace. Views of the arches and surrounding landscape change as you walk different sections, so trying various routes offers different perspectives on the work.
The water system included iron conduits designed to expand and contract with temperature changes, a detail that shows Nottolini's foresight about material behavior. This engineering solution anticipated problems that engineers now handle as standard practice.
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