In one of the most ancient and intriguing areas of the city, accessible from Via della Cava, stands a fascinating well, Pozzo della Cava, so-called because the area housed a quarry of building materials in ancient times.<\/p>\n
The well, brought to light over the course of various interventions, has a depth of 36 metres, divided into two connected structures: the first, with a circular plan, has a diameter of about 3.40 metres, while the second is rectangular, measures 60 x 80 centimetres and presents evident signs of the Etruscan \u2018pedarole\u2019, which are incisions made on the walls to allow ascent and descent.<\/p>\n
Following the discovery of a signed letter by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger<\/em> made by Lucio Ricetti<\/em> in 1999, it was possible to confirm that Pozzo della Cava was the first well built in Orvieto commissioned by Pope Clement VII, around 1527, even before the equally famous Pozzo di S. Patrizio.<\/p>\n The well was entirely dug by hand in the lithoid tuff of which Orvieto\u2019s rock is composed, and must have very ancient origins, as a whole series of spaces and \u2018caves\u2019 datable to various ages and functions develop outwards from it and around it: remains of tombs, water tunnels and cisterns dating back to the Etruscan period, but also the remains of an oven for the manufacture of ceramics or cellars dating back to the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n Over recent years, during the Christmas period, the Well has become the chosen spot for a characterful Nativity scene, becoming a tourist attraction in the city known as \u2018Il Presepe nel Pozzo\u2019 (\u2018The Nativity in the Well\u2019), with religious performances on the theme of the nativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In one of the most ancient and intriguing areas of the city, accessible from Via della Cava, stands a fascinating well, Pozzo della Cava, so-called because the area housed a quarry of building materials in ancient times. The well, brought to light over the course of various interventions, has a depth of 36 metres, divided […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":36278,"parent":19307,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n