Just after La Torre, on the rising lane to your right, a travertine slab set in the paving marks the public cistern; beside it—on the right—an inscription from 1748 preserves the ordinance known as the Punishment Tablet: a few stark lines on how hygiene, decorum and, above all, the water of the castle were protected.
In the 18th century, under the governorship of Todi for the Papal States, the community set clear rules: lanes cleaned by resident families, stables scrubbed every fifteen days, and a ban on washing or watering at the cistern; water had to be drawn with the town bucket only.
The penalties? Men: a fine of 30 baiocchi in copper, with lashes “to the backside” for non-payers or repeat offenders. Women: spankings “in private” for the duration of one or more Hail Marys. The mayor could commute or even administer the penalty in person in a room of the castle. A town crier announced the rules to the sound of horn and shawm.
Today the text may raise a smile, but it vividly conveys everyday community life in a transitional age—between the old world and the modern.
If you’re following the urban trek, pause here: note the cistern marker and read the Punishment Tablet. When ready, continue beyond the second gateway of the settlement: to the left lies Vicolo Brutto, another page of history to discover.
Umbro-Etruscan frontier land, land of contested castles, land of a landscape shaped by silent hamlets and rolling hills of olive, oak and chestnut trees.
Fondo Europeo Agricolo per lo Sviluppo Rurale: L’Europa investe nelle zone rurali
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas
