Water supply and management in a medieval city: Perugia (Italy). 13th-15th centuries

Located on a high hill with no rivers or natural springs, the city of Perugia, in the center of Italy, has had access to water from ancient times through a system of wells and cisterns. The water supply changed in the second half of the thirteenth century with the construction of a 4-km aqueduct and a monumental fountain in the center of the city. Along with these two architectural works, wells and cisterns to catalyze rainwater or water circulating deep continued to be the nerve of the city’s water system. Public authorities exercised strict control over water resources to the point of making water a public good. No wells could be built without permission from the city’s public authorities, which imposed a series of laws guaranteeing the division of water between uses for human consumption and manufacturing activities. Water from the center of the city could be used only for human consumption while water used in economic activities or agriculture was that of the periphery. In the Middle Ages in Perugia, political power imposed a water hierarchy to ensure the use and distribution of water.