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Cistern and covered well in Fara in Sabina: the 16th-century symbol of the Farnese family
The cistern and covered well of Fara in Sabina is located in Piazza del Duomo, at the highest point of the Sabine hilltop town in the province of Rieti. Built in 1588 at the behest of the Farnese family, it is considered the symbol of the town. And the most surprising thing is: it still works. After more than four centuries, the well continues to supply water to local residents.
A question of power and water
The cistern was built at a very specific point in time: the Farnese family had just taken control of Fara, succeeding the Orsini around the mid-16th century. Alessandro Farnese — apostolic vice-chancellor and bishop of Sabina — revived the local economy by renovating the Abbey of Farfa and re-establishing the fair. The cistern was one of the public works carried out during that period.
How it is built and what lies beneath
The visible part is a square-plan aedicula made of dressed stone, with four openings enclosed by wrought-iron grilles. It rests on a two-step base, topped by a cross-vault roof decorated with a scale pattern. But the real structure lies underground: a rectangular cistern capable of holding approximately 600,000 litres of water.
