Fonti del Clitunno

The Clitunno Springs are a true natural gem in Umbria, located in Campello sul Clitunno, a town halfway between Spoleto and Foligno.
They are formed by underground springs that emerge from cracks in the rock through pools, visible at times at the bottom of the lake. These crystal-clear springs feed the Clitunno River.

The lake, with its intense, iridescent colors, is rich in rare plant species that contribute to its enchanting aura. The banks are surrounded by dense vegetation, especially weeping willows and poplars. Due to their extraordinarily evocative appearance, they have been a source of inspiration since ancient times for painters, poets, and writers, including Corot, George Byron, and Carducci, who dedicated a famous ode to them.

“Hail, green Umbria, and you of the pure spring,
god Clitumnus! I feel in my heart my ancient
homeland, and the Italian gods hover over my glowing brow.”

(G. Carducci, 1876)

A marble memorial stone, carved in bas-relief and bearing an epigraph by Ugo Ojetti, commemorates his visit in 1910.
Due to their environmental, as well as cultural and historical, significance, the Clitunno Springs can be considered a natural and literary park. In ancient times, shrines, villas, and baths stood along the river’s banks.
The Emperor Caligula came here to consult the oracle, and religious rites were held here. It was believed that the god Clitunnus resided in the depths of the waters, in whose honor three temples were built, unfortunately lost. Currently, a temple remains near the springs: “The Tempietto sul Clitunno,” probably built with materials from destroyed eras and containing some of the oldest frescoes in Umbria. We know from Virgil and Propertius that it was customary to immerse oxen in these waters before sacrifice, as they were believed to be supernatural and capable of making them white.

The waters of the Clitunno flowed unevenly across the plain for many centuries, until, with the drying up of Lake Clitorius, they were regulated and even allowed to pass beneath the Marroggia. The springs were so abundant that they soon formed a great river navigable all the way to Rome, continuing with the Tiber.
In 440 AD, a terrible earthquake, which lasted six months, destroyed most of the springs; nevertheless, even today, the Clitunno is among the most abundant springs in Umbria, with 1,500 liters per second.

The layout we see today is the work of Count Paolo Campello della Spina, who between 1860 and 1865 created the space for the pond and ensured the growth of the vegetation that still characterizes the site today. The fauna, in addition to fish, consists primarily of the characteristic swans, as well as several species of aquatic birds.