Still Flowing Today

The Aqua Virgo, built in 19 BC by Marcus Agrippa, still delivers water to central Rome. It feeds the famous Trevi Fountain and several other landmarks. That is over two thousand years of continuous operation from a single piece of Roman infrastructure.

Modern engineers have studied Roman concrete and found it actually gets stronger over time when exposed to seawater. The volcanic ash mixture creates mineral crystals that reinforce the structure — something modern Portland cement cannot do.