Pozzo Etrusco (Etruscan Well)
Beneath a nondescript doorway off Piazza Danti hides one of the most astonishing pieces of ancient engineering in central Italy. The Pozzo Etrusco is a 3rd-century BC well, 36 metres deep and 5.5 metres wide, still containing water and still structurally intact after 2,300 years.
Down Into the Depths
A narrow staircase spirals down to a glass walkway suspended over the shaft, giving you a vertiginous look straight down into black water far below. The stone lining is perfectly fitted without mortar — Etruscan dry-stone mastery at its most breathtaking.
A stone bridge crosses the well at mid-depth, allowing the Etruscans to lower two buckets simultaneously. The engineering logic is elegant and the atmosphere — cool, echoing, dimly lit — is genuinely otherworldly.
Context and History
The well supplied the entire Etruscan city of Velzna (later Perugia) and continued in use through the Roman period. It was rediscovered in the 16th century and excavated properly in the 19th.
Almost no tourists find it despite being 50 metres from the Duomo. Admission is cheap, the visit takes 30 minutes, and it will be one of the most memorable 30 minutes of your trip.
More of Perugia
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Perugia →
