The “Fabbrica dell’Acqua” in Florence is an important historical site that showcases the city’s connection to water management and industrial history. Located near the Arno River, this structure is tied to Florence’s intricate system of mills and aqueducts, which were vital for both local industries and daily life.
Historically, the Fabbrica dell’Acqua was part of a broader network that included the watermill and weir of San Michele a Rovezzano. This area played a crucial role in flood prevention and energy production. The nearby weir, built to manage the Arno River’s flow, was essential in protecting the city from devastating floods.
The Fabbrica dell Acqua, once located in the area that we know today as Piazza Poggi, Diladdarno. Did you know that: near the fishing of San Niccolò there are the remains of the water sockets for the Mulini dei Renai and the water factory? These suggestive galleries, made long and under the Arno in the second half of the nineteenth century, served the lifting factory of the Florentine aqueduct. Originally located in the Lungarno Serristori Torrigiani, the factory was demolished in 1962.
