This suburban park was designated a protected area in 1988 after two years of campaigning from a local citizen movement. It is named after the impressive aqueducts that still stand there today, providing one of the most famous landscapes in Rome. In antiquity, these aqueducts carried drinking water from the mountains in the east Lazio (such as the Alban Hills and the Monti Simbruini), and were elevated on monumental arcades once they reached the flat expanse of the Roman countryside.

The Aqua Claudia, which is the most impressive aqueduct still standing within the park, was the eighth aqueduct built by the ancient Romans, constructed during the reigns of emperors Caligula and Claudius. It could carry over 2,000 liters of water per second, over 40 miles (70 km) away from its original source.