In this event dedicated to the Water Cycle in Lisbon, we propose a route that begins where the first stage of this project ended, at the Amadora Archaeology Museum - Casal da Falagueira Museum Centre.
From there we'll set off, following the section of the Águas Livres Aqueduct wherever possible, towards Caneças, passing through the Carenque Valley, along a section of the ancient Roman aqueduct that originated at the Belas Roman Dam, and then we'll head towards the Olival Santíssimo area and conclude our adventure in Caneças.

At the end of the stage, you can return using the VIMECA bus, which stops at Amadora station.

Águas Livres Aqueduct:

Built between 1731 and 1749 by royal order, the Águas Livres Aqueduct was a vast system for collecting and transporting water by gravity. Classified as a National Monument since 1910, it is considered a remarkable work of hydraulic engineering.

This work involved using the Águas Livres water springs, which are part of the Sintra mountain basin, in the Belas area, north-west of Lisbon.

The route chosen coincided, in general terms, with the route of the old Roman aqueduct. Its construction was only possible thanks to a tax called the Royal Water Tax, levied on essential goods such as olive oil, wine and meat.

The system, which withstood the 1755 earthquake, consists of:

• A main section, 14 kilometres long, starting at Mãe de Água Velha, in Belas, and ending at the Mãe de Água das Amoreiras reservoir, in Lisbon
• Several secondary sections designed to transport water from around 60 springs
• Five galleries to supply around 30 fountains in the capital

In total, the Águas Livres Aqueduct system, inside and outside Lisbon, was around 58 kilometres long in the mid-19th century, and its waters were no longer used for human consumption from the 1960s onwards.

The extraordinary arcade of the Alcântara Valley, which stretches for 941 metres, is made up of 35 arches, including the largest stone ogival arch in the world, 65.29 metres high and 28.86 metres wide.