Of More Importance Is Old Chaupy's Discovery Of The Northerly Aspect Of One Of These Springs - "Thee The Fierce Season Of The Blazing Dog-Star Cannot Touch." There May Have Been A Cave At The Back Of The "Fontana Del Fico"; The "Fontana Rotta" Is Hopelessly Uncavernous.

For the rest, there is no reason why the fountain should not have changed its position since ancient days.

On the contrary, several things might incline one to think that it has been forced to abandon the high grounds and seek its present lower level. To begin with, the hill on which the village stands is honeycombed by hives of caves which the inhabitants have carved out of the loose conglomerate (which, by the way, hardly corresponds with the poet's saxum); and it may well be that a considerable collapse of these earth-dwellings obstructed the original source of the waters and obliged them to seek a vent lower down.

Next, there are the notorious effects of deforestation. An old man told me that in his early days the hill was covered with timber - indeed, this whole land, now a stretch of rolling grassy downs, was decently wooded up to a short time ago. I observed that the roof of the oldest of the three churches, that of Saint Anthony, is formed of wooden rafters (a rare material hereabouts). Deforestation would also cause the waters to issue at a lower level.

Lastly, and chiefly - the possible shatterings of earthquakes. Catastrophes such as those which have damaged Venosa in days past may have played havoc with the water-courses of this place by choking up their old channels.

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