The work took 16 years of work and the support of the most respected scholars and mathematicians of the Kingdom of Naples arousing, for the entire time of realization, the attention of the whole of Europe, so as to be recognized as one of the most interesting architectural and engineering works of the eighteenth century.

The immense aqueduct was designed by Luigi Vanvitelli on commission of King Carlo of Bourbon and began officially in 1753 and planned to exploit the springs of Bucciano in the town of Airola. The work was inaugurated after less than ten years, in 1762, after a total cost of 622424 ducats. 

The aqueduct benefited the entire Caserta area, especially those entrepreneurial activities that exploited the driving force of water, such as the San Leucio complex. This was mainly due to the many mills scattered in the area that made a living from the production of flour and pasta. 

Of particular architectural value and since 1197 unesco world heritage (together with the entire aqueduct, the palace of Caserta and the complex of San Leucio) is the bridge, still perfectly preserved, crossing the Valley of Maddaloni connects Mount Longano (to the east) with Mount Garzano (to the west). This building, commonly known as "The bridges of the valley", rises with a powerful tuff structure with three orders of arches resting on 44 square pylons, for a length of 529 m and with a maximum height of 55.80 m, on the model of the Roman aqueducts. At the time of construction it was the longest bridge in Europe.  The quality of Vanvitelli’s work is also testified by its resistance to the three violent earthquakes that hit the area in the last two centuries, without affecting the viaduct’s scaffold. At the base of the bridge there is an ossuary monument, inaugurated on 1 October 1899. The monument contains the remains of soldiers who died in the Battle of Volturno.