On September 14, the Festival of Water will be held in Gualdo Tadino, in the splendid setting of Rocca Flea.

The initiative was conceived to discuss the theme of water in historical and cultural terms; water as an element of biodiversity in the Umbrian-Marche Apennines; but also in archaeological terms, as the factor that gave rise to all civilizations, encompassing the customs, traditions, and lifestyles typical of a people. Among this year’s initiatives is a guided visit (by reservation) to the historic Scirca spring in Costacciaro, organized in collaboration with Umbra Acque and led by Fabio Ippoliti.

An “archeo-trekking” will depart from Gualdo Tadino at 8:20 a.m. from the Coop parking lot, with the visit scheduled from 9:00 to 11:30. The aqueduct of Villa Scirca was first designed in 1927 to bring drinking water to the acropolis of Perugia, which at the time was suffering from a water emergency. Thanks to the favorable altitude difference (591 m at Villa Scirca, 490 m at Porta Sole, the highest point of Perugia), the entire route could be completed without the use of pumps, relying exclusively on gravity.

The heart of the festival will be the conference “Stories of Earth and Water”, which will take place in the afternoon starting at 4:00 p.m. at Rocca Flea. Here, after the institutional greetings and those of the Deputy National Director of the Archaeological Groups of Italy, Vincenzo Moroni, a series of talks will follow, addressing the historical, archaeological, and geopolitical dimensions, coordinated by Sebastien Mattioli of GAAUM Gualdo Tadino.