Movies and murder in the park

Parco degli acquedotti (Park of the Aqueducts) is part of the Appian Way Regional Park and is named after the aqueducts that run through it. Remains of six out of the eleven aqueducts that brought water to Rome, can be seen here.

The park is near the Cinecittà film studios and Italian filmmakers often used it as a shooting location. One of the most famous appearances was in the opening shot of La Dolce Vita, when a statue of Christ is suspended from a helicopter that flies along the route of the Aqua Claudia aqueduct.

You can also see it in Pier Paolo Pasolini's Mamma Roma, when Anna Magnan walks around the Quadraro district from where you can easily see the park.

The ruins of the Aqueduct Claudius and the Roman countryside were featured in Marchese del Grillo by Mario Monicelli. They accompany the speeches of the Marquis and a French official on coach, before being stopped near the ruins of the Church of Saint Bonaventura in Canale Monterano, by a group of criminals.

Recently, the park appeared in La Grande Bellezza by Paolo Sorrentino and in tv-series Roma by Bruno Heller.

The park is a great place for history and cinema lovers. And a nice spot for a picnic away from the tourist crowds. Who knows, maybe you will be lucky and see another movie under production?

Bonus fact: the part is also known for some non-fictional dramatic events which took place on the 7th of August 2019. A famous criminal Fabrizio Piscitelli was killed here while sitting on one of the benches by a jogger armed with a pistol. Known as Diabolik, Piscitelli had been the leader of the Irriducibili, the gang of Ultras who supported the Lazio Football Club in Rome. He had successfully transformed this support into an illicit business empire that turned him into a millionaire.

Sources: Wikipedia, https://www.romehints.com/en/The-Parco-degli-Acquedotti-a-famous-movie-set-from-the-50s/