Joe R.
Yelp
Tall, slender, and intact, the Roman Aqueduct of Segovia looks as new as the day it was completed nearly 2,000 years ago. Along with Pont du Gard in southern France, it is one of the most important and best-preserved Roman aqueducts in the world.
Captivated by its grandeur and structural integrity, I walked its entire 900 meter length to survey it from every possible angle. The former watercourse begins at street level where the top channel is visible, and ends high atop the walls of the ancient city. In between, there are over 20,000 hefty granite blocks stacked without mortar into 167 flawless arches.
As they traverse the hilltop town, the arched apertures framed Segovia's red tile rooftops and medieval church towers. Not buttressed in any way, the soaring archways appear as if they might topple over at any minute, like a giant game of Jenga.
Yet, the durable and good-looking Roman Aqueduct of Segovia remains an enduring monument to the ingenuity and artistry of the Roman's first-century department of public works.