We had some time to tour another well. The Pozzo di San Patrizio (English: "St. Patrick's Well"is another other well in Orvieto. It was built in between 1527 and 1537, during the sack of Rome in 1527 by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V because he feared that the city's water supply would be insufficient in the event of a siege.
The name was inspired by medieval legends that St. Patrick's Purgatory in Ireland gave access down to Purgatory, indicating something very deep.
It has a central well shaft with two spiral ramps in a double helix, accessed by two doors, which allowed mules to carry empty and full water vessels separately in downward and upward directions without obstruction. The well is 174 ft deep . There are 248 steps and 70 windows provide illumination.
I took only about 20 steps and turned around. It all made me too anxious, especially since I could hear an Italian school trip behind me and I knew their behaviour would create further anxiety. Surely one of them would throw something over or hang on the guard rail.
Also I was sure my iPhone would just jump out of my purse, or my glasses would spontaneously fall off. Thank god Jerry is very forgiving of my claustrophobic tendencies.
The bus trip was interesting. We stopped at a school and picked up some high school students. I think they attend until 1:00pm, take a lunch break and start again at 2:15 maybe 3:00. Ir was interesting as we dropped a few off at this small villages. I would imagine they somehow get the bus back. The trip was certainly nothing like the bus to Positano years ago but certainly interesting enough. In a strange why, I have begun to understand why so many race drivers are Italian. They may seem like crazy drivers, but rarely I have seen a accidents or or that matter dented or scratched cars.
Civitadibagnoregio, was founded by Etruscans over twenty-five hundred years ago but has seen its population dwindle to just 15 residents over the course of the 20th century.
At the end of the 17th century, the population was forced to move to Bagnoregio due to an earthquake
The town was placed on the World Monuments Fund's 2006 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites, due to the threats it faces from erosion. There were very few people there and wehad a great and very long lunch and yes I am holding on to the rail, clutching my hat, the fear of heights now!!!
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