Cistern and aqueduct
A bit more than a kilometer to the east of the harbour, at a locality that used to be called Belvedere (now Caserma 'Giorgio' CE.SI.VA), a very large cistern connected to the aqueduct was found. This location, at higher ground, is a good candidate for the Imperial villa mentioned in the ancient literary sources. In 1837 the owner of the place, Pietro Manzi, reported ruins of a Roman villa including channels. A marble statue was apparently found there as well. Manzi wrote:
Quando io operai delle scavazioni sopra il colle della mia campagna di belvedere, ove, tenendosi all'indicazione di Plinio, esser dovea il palazzo di Trajano, ricordo che sotto i ruderi che il cuoprono, e precisamente nel lato che mostra aver servito ad uso di bagni, e da ove trassi quell'Apollo imberbe, superba scultura di Greco scalpello, correva un magnifico condotto, che traeva di su verso le terme, ed in una direzione tutta opposta a quella, dalla quale procedono le acque potabili che condusse Trajano. Ora, fatti trarre di colà dentro alcuni mattoni, osservai con piacere insieme e meraviglia, che portavano il nome ed il consolato solato di Adriano, come il portavano alcuni altri mattoni che rinvenni nelle scavazioni che feci alle terme in un condotto dell'istessa grandezza, il quale, partendo di colà, traeva in giù di verso il colle di belvedere. Ora altri pensi come vuole; io, in quanto a me, sono irrevocabilmente di parere, che le acque termali furono da Adriano condotte a canale chiuso fino al palazzo Imperiale. When I was excavating on the hill of my estate of Belvedere, where, according to Pliny, Trajan's palace was supposed to be, I remember that under the ruins that cover it, and precisely on the side that appears to have served as a bath, and from where I took that beardless Apollo, a superb sculpture of Greek chisel, there ran a magnificent conduit, which led up towards the baths, and in a direction completely opposite to that, from which the drinkable waters that Trajan brought advance. Now, having had some bricks extracted from within, I observed with pleasure and wonder at the same time, that they bore the name and the sole consulate of Hadrian, as did some other bricks that I found in the excavations that I made at the baths in a conduit of the same size, which, starting from there, led down towards the hill of Belvedere. Now let others think as they wish; I, for my part, am irrevocably of the opinion that the thermal waters were conducted by Hadrian through a closed channel to the Imperial palace. P. Manzi, Stato antico ed attuale del porto città e provincia di Civitavecchia, Prato 1837, 53-54.
The cistern at location Belvedere. Photo: Reggiani 2018, fig. 7.
The cistern at location Belvedere. Note the two men bottom right.
Photo: Toti, photo 63.An aqueduct took water to Centumcellae over a distance of some 32 kilometers. The source was in the Monti della Tolfa, near the present town of Allumiere. It was built during the reign of Trajan, in the period 102-114 AD. In the masonry supporting the channel brick stamps were found with the words PORT(us) TRAI(ani). In the 17th and 18th century two lead water pipes carrying the name of Trajan were found in the city. The aqueduct was re-used by pope Innocentius XII, at the end of the 17th century.
Click to enlarge. The aqueduct as re-used by Innocentius XII.
Remains of the Trajanic-papal aqueduct. Photo: Toti 2013, photo 67.
Remains of the aqueduct In Via Acquedotto di Traiano. Photo: Toti 2013, photo 69.
