Pozzo di San Patrizio: Orvieto's Oldest Water-Storage Well

Pozzo di San Patrizio: Orvieto's Oldest Water-Storage Well

Descend the 248-step spiral staircase of Pozzo di San Patrizio, Orvieto's oldest water-storage well, a historical marvel built for uninterrupted donkey traffic and enshrouded in ancient legends.

Pozzo di San Patrizio, a historical marvel of Orvieto, is a 16th-century water-storage well. Built with a double spiral staircase, it enabled uninterrupted donkey traffic, carrying water vessels up and down without crossing paths. The well, 53.15 meters deep with a base diameter of 13 meters, has 248 steps and 70 windows providing light. The unique design, according to the Latin inscription on the well, superseded nature's limitations: 'what nature has begrudged, industry has supplied'.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nicolo Ciampini

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