Buso della Casara, on the slopes of Mount Vendevolo

What it is and where it is

Going up Mount Vendevolo in the municipality of Cinto Euganeo, one comes to a rest area enlivened by the subdued sound of flowing water. In fact, among the vegetation and rocks you can see a wall with a gate that closes a burrow. Immediately next to it, a spigot spouts water. All around are structures such as gutters and a disused tank that was probably used for washing clothes. If one is not already familiar with this place, one tends to stop convinced that one has encountered a small spring, a pleasant break along the way. But this is not exactly so...

Why it is special

To speak of "a spring" is somewhat reductive and in more than one respect. First, numerical: the water you see flowing here does not come from a single spring, but is the combination of several springs made to flow here. By whom, you may be wondering-well, here we get back to the second reason why this is not just one spring. What you are admiring are well-preserved and rather rare remnants of Roman engineering.

Not to be missed

Unfortunately, the gate blocking access to the burrow is destined to remain closed, at least at the moment. If we could pass through it, however, we would find ourselves in the initial part of the Roman aqueduct that collected water from the mountain to convey it to Este thanks to a system of tunnels first, and pipes later. Here, in particular, we are at the mouth of a system made up of seven tunnels that run for a total length of 170 meters, large enough for a man to walk through, and that connected five small springs together. In short, if not physically, it is nice to at least visit them with your imagination-can you imagine wandering around underground in search of pure water?

Trivia

Over the centuries, the tunnels have been clogged with debris. During some work to clean them up that took place between 1970 and 1971, a craft made from the trunk of an aspen tree was found inside them. In all likelihood it was a means of facilitating maintenance of the tunnels.

Ph: Proloco Cinto Euganeo (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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