Wellhead
This page contains information about a typical Venetian wellhead.
A wellhead (Vera da Pozzo in Italian) is the only exposed part of the well where people used to pull the water out from. The wellhead appears as a circular basin with a lid above ground. Today, they only serve as decoration purpose, see Public Art
History
Wellheads, known locally as “vera da pozzo”, cap underground wells that stored and filtered rain water in Venice up until 1884, when a modern water supply system was established. The term ‘wellhead’ has been in use since as early as the eleventh century and has many different variations: anello, corona, sponda, cinta, parapetto, spalletta or bocca di pozzo apart from the aforementioned vera da pozzo. Reference Rizzi book)
As a centerpiece of many public squares in Venice, “They were always at the center of socialization and interactivity among Venetians” (Wainwright et al., 2000, pg 16). Wellheads often featured inscriptions and carvings of saints or family crests. The artistic and structural design of each wellhead is indicative of the art period it was built in. (Huse, 1990)
Even though these wellheads appear as ornamental works of art, they were also innovative in their practicality. The wellheads were designed to prevent animals, debris, or floodwater from polluting the clean water source stored below (Wainwright et al., 2000, pg 16).
Structure
A typical wellhead has a platform, the main body and lid. Some platforms are made up of up to three steps. This is the only exposed part of the well. (Thomollari, 2004)
Drain
Material
Most wellheads are composed exclusively of Istrian stone, Red Verona marble, or White Verona marble.
Istrian stone is the most common material, it is a type of limestone that has a gray-green or yellowish color. Lengthy exposure to the atmosphere causes the stone to obtain a whitish appearance through a process called “whitewashing.” Unfortunately, this also makes Istrian stone a prime candidate for exfoliation.
Verona marble is a sedimentary rock composed of organic limestone and fossils. It has either a reddish or whitish color depending on the carbon compounds it contains.
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A wellhead made of Istrian Stone -
A wellhead made of Red Verona Stone -
A wellhead made of White Verona Stone
Lid
The Lid of a wellhead is typically circular in shape and either flat or convex in shape. Most wellhead lids are made of metal, concrete or wood. The exceptions are one made of stone and one that had a bronze statue serving as the lid.
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A wellhead that has a metal lid -
A wellhead that has a concrete lid -
A wellhead in Chioggia that has a statue as the lid
Retrieving Water
Some churches were responsible for opening and closing the well at certain time of the day. In order to retrieve water from the well, people used to have a bucket tied to a string and it would be pulled from above. There are marks on the wellhead that resulted from this action. Some private wellheads have a pulley system installed on it.
Animals
Besides providing water for human, certain wellhead has a hole on its platform to collect rain water for the animals such as pigeons or cats.
See also
References
Bibliography
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