The Canneto Aqueduct and the Settefrati Fountain: A History of Struggle and Progress
The “Fontanone” of Settefrati, a symbol of the village community, is now over a century old. It was officially inaugurated in the summer of 1900, celebrated by the speeches of the then mayor, Judge Pasquale Venturini (1873-1918), and his deputy Ferdinando Gramegna (1863-1942). It was an immense day of celebration, the crowning achievement of eight years of strenuous bureaucratic struggle and suffering.
The birth of the consortium between San Donato, Settefrati and Alvito
It all began when the mayor of San Donato Val di Comino, cav. Carlo Coletti, proposed to form a consortium with the municipalities of Alvito e Settefrati. The goal was ambitious: to build an aqueduct that would distribute water from the valuable spring of Canneto the three municipalities, as well as the hamlet of Gallinaro (then part of San Donato).
While Settefrati readily joined the initiative, Alvito initially chose not to participate, preferring the idea of an autonomous aqueduct. Despite this defection, Cav. Coletti and Judge Venturini proceeded with determination. They entrusted the task to’engineer Pedone and on 30 June 1892 they signed the contract before the notary Bernardino Massa.
The technical design and water allocation
After three months, the provincial council of Caserta approved the contract (at the time, and until 1927, our territory fell under Caserta jurisdiction, before the creation of the province of Frosinone).
The project involved taking from the source of Capodacqua of nine litres per second, broken down as follows:
- 5 litres to the municipality of San Donato;
- 3 litres to the municipality of Settefrati;
- 1 litre to the hamlet of Gallinaro.
As compensation for the handover and management, the municipality of San Donato undertook to carry out two fundamental public works in Settefrati:
- A public fountain with drinking trough;
- A public washhouse.
The total cost of the work was estimated at 200,000 lira, 46,000 of which were borne by Settefrati.
Oppositions: the “water war” with Atina and Casalvieri
Despite frantic preparations, tough administrative obstacles emerged in March 1893. The administration of Casalvieri, led by Mayor Fanelli, and some influential citizens of Atina, including the Visocchi, Tutinelli, Mancini and Palumbo families, large owners of irrigated land, appealed to the Prefecture of Caserta.
Their argument was that the nine-litre-per-second capture was excessive and would have damaged the mills and factories located along the course of the River Melfa. In reality, as pointed out by local historians, Atina and Casalvieri were trying to claim an almost exclusive right of possession over the waters of the river.
The response from San Donato and Settefrati was not long in coming: it was demonstrated that, with a flow rate of the Melfa exceeding one thousand litres per second, the withdrawal of only nine litres was completely irrelevant for the motive power of the factories downstream. In May of the same year, the Prefecture rejected the appeals, declaring the work of public utility.
The last obstacles and the 1900 inauguration
The road seemed to be paved, but fate (and legal appeals) came again. The Visocchi disputed the nature of the spring, defining it as state property and requesting a government rather than a provincial concession. This only arrived on 17 August 1895.
Subsequently, a further twist: the municipality of Alvito asked to rejoin the consortium. Despite San Donato's initial refusal, the Prefecture ordered its integration at Christmas 1897. Only in January 1898 were the works finally handed over to the Terni pipeline company.
Water finally arrived in Settefrati in the summer of 1900. Eight years of sacrifice and legal battles had passed. This affair remains a splendid example of how political authority can and should act for the common good. It is no coincidence that upon the death of Mayor Pasquale Venturini, fellow citizens living in Stamford (USA) wished to honour his memory by requesting that the acropolis square be named after him.
Even today, the sound of the Fontanone reminds us of that victory of tenacity and foresight.