The water routes at Santa Maria della Scala
The water route within the museum aims to guide visitors through the discovery of the places and environments that tell the story of the water system that characterized the interior of the ancient hospital structure, which was essential for its functioning. Today, the most important cisterns and the large well, which for centuries supplied water to the hospital community, are still visible within the exhibition paths.
The Rotone Well
It is the most important well of the hospital and the oldest documented one, having supplied water until its connection to the network of underground channels in 1898. At least since 1352, the well was fed by water from the Mandorlo Spring, which was located in the valley beneath the Sant'Ansano stream. Its name comes from the wooden wheel used to lift the water, which was rebuilt several times, as documented by payments made throughout the 16th century. The well is currently integrated into various levels of the hospital, and its shaft is now visible in a room accessed from the Corticella. Its dimensions are 35 meters in depth and 3 meters in diameter.
The Chigi Cistern ('Pozzo Chigi')
The first records date back to the early 1500s. The current shape of the well dates back to the early 1600s, as noted by an inscription above two panels of the wellhead. The wrought-iron lintel bears the hospital’s coat of arms and that of the Chigi family, topped by a cross.
The Cistern of Rector Tondi
Located inside the courtyard of the Rector’s Palace, it is named after Rector Giovanni di Filippo Tondi (1519-1527), to whom Sigismondo Tizio refers in connection with the construction of cisterns. The well is mentioned several times by Girolamo Macchi as being located in the porticoed courtyard inside the Rector's house.
The Cistern of the Corticella
This cistern is already mentioned in a report on the hospital and its functioning, written for Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1399. Later, Girolamo Macchi refers to it as the "Pozzo Comune" in the Piazzetta della Panettaria.
The Laundry of the House of Nurses and Foundlings
The laundry is located inside the House of Nurses and Foundlings. We do not know when it was built, but it is known that in the 17th century, it underwent several maintenance interventions.