The Pozzo dei Cani (Well of Dogs) is part of the Renaissance project commissioned by Pope Pius II.
It is located to the right of the trapezoidal-shaped square and is close to one of the façades of Palazzo Piccolomini. It is made of travertine and was built with a central basin made with convex pod-shaped decorations and inserted between two columns with capitals. On the architrave, you can see the wording: PIUS PP II – MCCCCLXII (Pope Pius II – 1462) with the coat of arms of the Piccolomini family featuring the five crescents.
At the time, the well was a source of water for the inhabitants of the town and probably also for animals that could drink from the vein of fresh water on which the well was built.
A true work of art, built based on Rossellino’s design, a fundamental element for a perfect view of the square and proof of the Pope’s great sensitivity towards the water supply in the town and inside his palace, where there is no shortage of wells and cisterns for rainwater collection.
