Between 1887 and 1889, the first pipeline supplying the city of Ferrara with drinking water was built. On the top of the “Montagnone,” two buildings and a large underground cross-vaulted tank for water storage are built, which still exists: this is Ferrara’s first aqueduct. In 1927-29 the plants became three: the one on the Montagnone, enhanced by the reservoir tower, was joined by the one in Piazza XXIV Maggio and the one in Pontelagoscuro.
The complex was damaged during World War II. Reconstruction work, which began as early as 1945, was completed in early 1948, when the municipal aqueduct became fully functional again.
In 1988, a project for the radical renovation of the Ferrara aqueduct was drawn up: the completion of the work resulted in the decommissioning of the “Montagnone” aqueduct.
Consolidation and restoration work on the complex began in 2023. With Monumenti Aperti, the first reopening of the old Aqueduct to the public will take place.
