Pozzo del Capitano

Among the oldest fountains in Cutigliano, even if it is not exactly a “fountain”, there is the so-called “Captain’s Well”; it is located on the back of the beautiful palace, dotted with stone coats of arms, in the very center of the town, where the Town Hall is located today. The building in question was built in the second half of the 14th century as the residence of the Captains of the Mountain. Initially, in fact, the judge lived in a rented house, which stood near the current town square; but in 1377 it was decided to give a decent home to the Captains of Justice who took turns governing the mountain, by stipulating a contract for the purchase of land on which to build the residence of the magistrates, drawn up in the presence of the seven mayors of the communities of the High Mountain. The construction of the palace proceeded quickly, reusing some of the pre-existing structures, and a few years later it seemed to be completed. In one of the latest publications, it appears that the original fourteenth-century palace was certainly smaller in size; it appears that it had a portico on the ground floor and a first floor with a hall for assemblies and the Captain's residence; furthermore, a mighty tower was set on the left, with stone blocks arranged in a row, complete with a bell for communications and ritual notices. The original building must have had a courtyard at the back, which included the well, today the only survivor. It is a rectangular stone basin, set in a deep niche with a depressed arch, at the back of the building, in a tiny, very suggestive square. Locality Cutigliano