The Bolla Aqueduct was the first aqueduct in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
built around 400 BC by the Greek inhabitants. It was about 10 km long, bringing water from a marshy depression near
Mount Vesuvius, known as the "Volla” plain, which was in turn supplied by an
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...
of
pyroclastic
Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroc ...
and
sedimentary
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic matter, organic particles at Earth#Surface, Earth's surface, followed by cementation (geology), cementation. Sedimentati ...
deposits laid down in Vesuvius' many eruptions.
It reached the city at
Porta Capuana
The Porta Capuana is an ancient city gate in Naples, Italy. The gate also gives name to the zone, which is one of the ten boroughs of Naples. This zone being part of the Fourth Municipality.
In spite of the name, the portal is not the ancient ...
before splitting into a network of underground channels leading to private wells. It remained a major water source for the city until being replaced by the Serino aqueduct in the late 19th century. The Bolla still supplies water to outer areas of Naples for industrial use.
References
External links
www.romanaqueducts.info
{{coord missing, Italy
category:Aqueducts in Italy
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