Wells
This page is an overview of all the wells on Venice.
For a typical well, see Well.
There are approximately 231 wells in the City of Venice, capped by 231 wellheads. These wells no longer serve any functional purpose but still exist beneath the streets of Venice.
 A wellhead in Venice | |
| Total Number of Mainland Wells Recorded | |
|---|---|
| Cannaregio | 50 |
| Castello | 58 |
| Sante Croce | 20 |
| San Polo | 23 |
| San Marco | 48 |
| Dorsoduro | 29 |
| Giudecca | 3 |
| Total Number of Wells on Islands of the lagoon | |
| Murano | 6 |
| Burano | 2 |
| Torcello | 6 |
| Lido | 1 |
| Malamocco | 3 |
| San Pietra in Volta | 1 |
| Portosecco | 1 |
| Pellestrina | 4 |
| Chioggia | 2 |
History
As a series of islands surrounded by a salt-water lagoon, Venice lacks natural sources of freshwater. As a result, Venice has found alternative ways to obtain freshwater for the city. As far back as the 6th century, Venetians built well systems to collect and filter rain to be stored as freshwater.