Midway between the old and new capitals of Mdina and Valletta, Santa Venera grew in importance as a staging post en route. Its position meant the village was always the focus of transport and communication projects serving the two cities. First was the Wignacourt acquaduct, completed in 1615, built to solve the problems of Valletta's drinking water supply. The flat lands of Santa Venera posed a problem to the acquaduct builders who devised a system of arches to increase the gradient. You can still see large parts of the acquaduct here. The second project was the railway. Track-laying started in the late 19th century for a service that was to last only until the 1930s. Today, Santa Venera is an urban area comprising residential and industrial estates. It has several imposing villas, now government buildings. Of special interest are Casa Leone, and the nearby Romeo Romano Gardens.