Acueducto de Sabatini

Acueducto de Sabatini is a historic aqueduct in Casa de Campo, Madrid's large city park, built in 1778 to a design by the Italian architect Francesco Sabatini. Also known as the Acueducto de la Partida, it once carried water to the riverside gardens along the Manzanares.

Where is it located?

The aqueduct stands inside Casa de Campo, the sprawling park west of central Madrid, running between the park's lake and the garden grounds known as la Partida, right next to the Manzanares river. Visitors typically come across it while walking or cycling through the park rather than seeking it out as a standalone sight, which makes it a pleasant discovery for anyone exploring Casa de Campo.

Why was it built?

Before 1778, water reached the riverside gardens — which also supplied the Royal Palace — through an older wooden aqueduct. That structure was unstable and needed constant repairs, which eventually pushed the court of Charles III to commission a sturdier replacement. The job went to Francesco Sabatini, an architect already busy with several other royal commissions in Madrid at the time.

Who was Francesco Sabatini?

Sabatini was born in Palermo in 1721 and trained as an architect in Rome. His path to Madrid ran through Naples, where he worked on the royal palace at Caserta for King Charles VII — the same monarch who, after becoming Charles III of Spain, brought him to the capital in 1760. In Madrid, Sabatini left behind a substantial body of work, including the Puerta de Alcalá and the convent of San Pascual in Aranjuez. He died in 1797, and the aqueduct in Casa de Campo remains one of the lesser-known, though no less distinctive, pieces of his Madrid legacy.

How was the aqueduct built?

The new channel was built in brick, with a water-carrying system made of granite pieces joined by tongue-and-groove fittings — a technique that let the structure handle changes in ground level without the frequent upkeep the earlier wooden aqueduct had demanded. As a result, it kept functioning for decades before the city's evolving water needs eventually reduced its practical role.

What can you see today?

Today the aqueduct survives mainly as a heritage structure and a landscape feature rather than working water infrastructure. Madrid's city authorities have carried out conservation work to protect it from further deterioration, treating it as part of the architectural heritage of Casa de Campo. Walking along the lake, visitors can still make out the line of arches and masonry spans that once traced the water's route.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Acueducto de Sabatini? Inside Casa de Campo park in Madrid, between the park's lake and the la Partida gardens, near the Manzanares river.

When was the aqueduct built? In 1778, replacing an earlier wooden aqueduct that required too much frequent repair.

Who designed it? The Italian architect Francesco Sabatini, who worked in Madrid for King Charles III from 1760 and also designed the Puerta de Alcalá.

Does the aqueduct still carry water? No, it no longer serves its original function — today it stands as a protected heritage structure and part of the park landscape.

Is it worth visiting as part of a trip to Casa de Campo? Yes, it's an interesting stop for anyone exploring the park on foot or by bike, combining natural surroundings with a piece of 18th-century Madrid history.