Wells - Revision history

V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* The Cistern System */

2025-12-11T12:12:47Z

The Cistern System

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:12, 11 December 2025
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	As a collection of islands surrounded by a salt-water lagoon, Venice lacks natural sources of freshwater. As a result, Venice had to find alternative ways to obtain freshwater for the city. Before the introduction of the cistern system of Venice, the citizens of Venice relied on a few different sources of freshwater. They caught rain in basins, ran barges to the mainland to collect water from groundwells, and dug shallow wells in the lido to reach pockets of drinking water. These pockets were the result of rainwater filtering through the fine sands of the Lido beaches. Although these sources brought freshwater, they came with many drawbacks. This system mainly relied on the barges to supply water to the city, which was very expensive in both manpower and resources.		As a collection of islands surrounded by a salt-water lagoon, Venice lacks natural sources of freshwater. As a result, Venice had to find alternative ways to obtain freshwater for the city. Before the introduction of the cistern system of Venice, the citizens of Venice relied on a few different sources of freshwater. They caught rain in basins, ran barges to the mainland to collect water from groundwells, and dug shallow wells in the lido to reach pockets of drinking water. These pockets were the result of rainwater filtering through the fine sands of the Lido beaches. Although these sources brought freshwater, they came with many drawbacks. This system mainly relied on the barges to supply water to the city, which was very expensive in both manpower and resources.

	===The Cistern System===		=== The Cistern System ===

	The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use. This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.		The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use. This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.

	The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .		The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .

	~~While~~ the ~~cisterns were vital~~ to the ~~survival~~ of Venice~~, they did not come without their drawbacks~~. ~~Their construction was very difficult~~, ~~requiring the use of multiple different trades~~, ~~and there was a risk~~ of ~~contamination to~~ the ~~well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice~~'~~s population<ref>Seindal, 2023</ref>. Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into~~ the ~~wells~~' ~~drains~~ and ~~some wells~~' ~~lids~~. The ~~saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness”<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>. Despite efforts to clean out~~ the wells~~, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came~~ in~~, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months~~ of ~~consuming~~ the ~~contaminated water,~~ the ~~sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast~~ in ~~their action,~~ the ~~city~~'s ~~doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref>~~. The ~~neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic~~ in ~~Venetian history, killing around a third~~ of the ~~population~~. ~~This epidemic left Venice with~~ a ~~heavy focus on finding a better~~ water ~~source than~~ the ~~cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again~~.		Several guilds were in charge of building and maintaining the wells. The guild of the'' burchieri'' used barges to transport materials to the islands of Venice. The two notable sub-divisions, ''colonnelli'' in italian,  of the ''burchieri ''were the ''burchieri-acquaroli ''and the ''burchieri da fango.'' The ''burchieri-acquaroli'' brought water from the mainlands when the wells began runing low. The ''burchieri da fango'' were in charge of bringing sand from the Lido to the islands to use in the wellhead's filtration system. The ''pozzeri'' and ''mureri'' were in charge of building and repairing the cirsterns and wellshafts. When well water was contaminated, there was a guild to pump the dirty water out and another guild to clean the wellshaft before the ''acquaroli'' refilled the wells.

	This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref>.		While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population <ref>Seindal, 2023</ref> . Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids. The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness” <ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref> . Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater+++ remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref> . The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population. This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again.

			This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref> .

	== Function ==		== Function ==

V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* Map */

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Map

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:00, 10 December 2025
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	==Map==		==Map==
	The location of the ~~wells, along with its~~ wellheads, are designated by red dots on the map.		The location of the currently known wellheads, are designated by red dots on the map. There are more wells buried under the streets of Venice, but we do not currenlty know where they are.
	{{Wellheads Map\|url=https://cityknowledge.firebaseIO.com/data/1fee5e60-6b47-7137-44c0-6c5194dc898f}}		{{Wellheads Map\|url=https://cityknowledge.firebaseIO.com/data/1fee5e60-6b47-7137-44c0-6c5194dc898f}}

	==See Also==		==See Also==
	*[[Well]]		*[[Well]]

V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* The Cistern System */

2025-12-10T14:22:28Z

The Cistern System

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 10 December 2025
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	The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .		The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .

	While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids. The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness”<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref>. The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population. This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again.		While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population<ref>Seindal, 2023</ref>. Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids. The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness”<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref>. The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population. This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again.

	This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref>.		This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref>.

V25B.wells@gmail.com at 19:19, 9 December 2025

2025-12-09T19:19:16Z

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	}}		}}

	==Pre-Cistern Wells==		==History==
			===Pre-Cistern Wells===
	As a collection of islands surrounded by a salt-water lagoon, Venice lacks natural sources of freshwater. As a result, Venice had to find alternative ways to obtain freshwater for the city. Before the introduction of the cistern system of Venice, the citizens of Venice relied on a few different sources of freshwater. They caught rain in basins, ran barges to the mainland to collect water from groundwells, and dug shallow wells in the lido to reach pockets of drinking water. These pockets were the result of rainwater filtering through the fine sands of the Lido beaches. Although these sources brought freshwater, they came with many drawbacks. This system mainly relied on the barges to supply water to the city, which was very expensive in both manpower and resources.		As a collection of islands surrounded by a salt-water lagoon, Venice lacks natural sources of freshwater. As a result, Venice had to find alternative ways to obtain freshwater for the city. Before the introduction of the cistern system of Venice, the citizens of Venice relied on a few different sources of freshwater. They caught rain in basins, ran barges to the mainland to collect water from groundwells, and dug shallow wells in the lido to reach pockets of drinking water. These pockets were the result of rainwater filtering through the fine sands of the Lido beaches. Although these sources brought freshwater, they came with many drawbacks. This system mainly relied on the barges to supply water to the city, which was very expensive in both manpower and resources.

	== The Cistern System ==		===The Cistern System===

	The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use. This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.		The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use. This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.

V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* The Cistern System */

2025-12-09T19:01:37Z

The Cistern System

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	The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .		The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .

	While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids. The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness”<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref>. The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population. This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again ~~<ref name="Gentilcore" />~~.		While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids. The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness”<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref>. The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population. This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again.

	This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref>.		This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref>.

V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* The Cistern System */

2025-12-09T19:01:05Z

The Cistern System

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:01, 9 December 2025
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	== The Cistern System ==		== The Cistern System ==

	The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use ~~<ref>~~ . This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.		The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use. This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.

	The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .		The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .

	While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids ~~<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>~~ . The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness” <ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref> . The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population ~~<ref>~~ . This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again <ref name="Gentilcore" /> .		While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids. The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness”<ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref>. The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population. This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again <ref name="Gentilcore" />.

	This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref> .		This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref>.

	== Function ==		== Function ==

V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* The Cistern System */

2025-12-09T18:45:26Z

The Cistern System

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:45, 9 December 2025
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	== The Cistern System ==		== The Cistern System ==

	The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref ~~name="Gentilcore"~~> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use <ref ~~name="Gentilcore" /~~> . This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.		The oldest known Venetian cistern-wells were constructed in the eleventh century, around 1038 <ref>Veikou, 2022</ref> , and were spread out across the Venetian landscape. The construction of the cistern system allowed the people of Venice to gather water without needing the barges to transport it from the mainland <ref> D. Gentilcore, "The cistern-system of early modern Venice: technology, politics and culture in a hydraulic society", Water History, 13-3 (October 2021): 375-406</ref> . These "wells" were actually cisterns that emulated the natural filtration of the Lido's sand dunes. They collected rainwater through street-level drains, filtered it through layers of sand from the Lido, and held the drinkable water to be collected for later use <ref> . This system was implimented slowly throughout Venice for the next two hunder years. Then, in the 13th-15th centuries, the city of Venice built wells in every ''campo'' and ''corte'' to make clean water as accessible as possible. Once the wells became commonplace, Venice's reliance on the water-carrying barges reduced greatly. The barges were not fully eliminated, however, since they were in charge of filling the wells with water from the mainland when the wells began to run dry.

	The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .		The water in the public cisterns was free for anyone to use, and proximity to water was a great signifier of power in Venetian society. Wealthy citizens would commission guilds to build private wells to separate themselves from the rest of the population or to display their opulence. There were also many private wellheads located in religious buildings. Priests and other leaders closely and strictly supervised the use of wellheads, allowing limited accessibility to the wells a couple of times per day <ref>Venetian Wells, n.d.</ref> .

	While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids <ref ~~name="Raimondo"~~>Raimondo, 1576</ref> . The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness” <ref ~~name="Raimondo" /~~>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref> . The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population <ref ~~name="Gentilcore" /~~> . This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again <ref name="Gentilcore" /> .		While the cisterns were vital to the survival of Venice, they did not come without their drawbacks. Their construction was very difficult, requiring the use of multiple different trades, and there was a risk of contamination to the well water. In 1575, there was an epidemic that took out nearly a third of Venice's population (Seindal, 2023). Earlier this year, there was an unusually high flood that let saltwater seep into the wells' drains and some wells' lids <ref>Raimondo, 1576</ref> . The saltwater and freshwater mixed to create “a certain muddy mixture so foul that it caused illness” <ref>. Despite efforts to clean out the wells, some of the saltwater remained and mixed with the new freshwater as it came in, drawing out the epidemic. After 15 months of consuming the contaminated water, the sickness worsened. Although the public health officials were fast in their action, the city's doctors ignored the symptoms and neglected poor patients <ref>Benedetti, 1577</ref> . The neglect allowed this illness to turn into the worst epidemic in Venetian history, killing around a third of the population <ref> . This epidemic left Venice with a heavy focus on finding a better water source than the cisterns in order to avoid an incident like this happening again <ref name="Gentilcore" /> .

	This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref> .		This was Venice's system for fresh water supply until 1884, when the Venetian aqueduct was constructed, providing Venice with a more reliable and safer source of drinking water <ref>A city on the water but without fresh water,” n.d.</ref> .

	== Function ==		== Function ==

V25B.wells@gmail.com at 18:44, 9 December 2025

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 *[[History of Water Provision in Venice]]
+==Reference==
 <references />
 ==External Links==

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V25B.wells@gmail.com: /* See Also */

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← Older revision		Revision as of 18:40, 9 December 2025
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	A concise way to make multiple references is to use empty ref tags, which have a slash at the end.		A concise way to make multiple references is to use empty ref tags, which have a slash at the end.
	Although this may reduce redundant work, please be aware that if a future editor removes the first reference, this will result in the loss of all references using the empty ref tags.<ref name="multiple" />		Although this may reduce redundant work, please be aware that if a future editor removes the first reference, this will result in the loss of all references using the empty ref tags.<ref name="multiple" />

			testing

	==Notes==		==Notes==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:40, 9 December 2025
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	*[[Wellhead]]		*[[Wellhead]]
	*[[Wellheads]]		*[[Wellheads]]
			*[[History of Water Provision in Venice]]