Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
9 days ago
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
9 days ago
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism
10 days ago
The Big Well
This Kansas Town Advertised the World’s Largest Well. It Wasn’t.
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Italy Viggianello Sorgente del Mercure (Mercure Wellspring)
AO Edited

Sorgente del Mercure (Mercure Wellspring)

This crystal clear water basin feeds the Lao river and powers a hydroelectric power plant.

Viggianello, Italy

Added By
Sebastiaan Speziali
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Sorgente del Mercure   Sebastiaan Atlas / Atlas Obscura User
Sorgente del Mercure   Sebastiaan Atlas / Atlas Obscura User
Sorgente del Mercure   Sebastiaan Atlas / Atlas Obscura User
Sorgente del Mercure   Millucci0/CC BY-SA 4.0
Viggianello   DinaBenedettoFerrandina/CC BY-SA 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

About a kilometer and a half from the historic center of Viggianello, you find the Sorgente del Mercure (Mercure Wellspring), the birthplace of the Lao river, also known as the Mercure river in the Basilicata region.

The wellspring has a flow of 2,000 liters per second and a temperature of a cool nine degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit). Thanks to a settling tank built in the 1920s, the crystal clear water basin flows to a hydroelectric power plant through a covered tunnel. There are few fountains where visitors can take fresh water. 

A local story holds that the town's name, Viggianello, was inspired by an event at Sorgente del Mercure. The story goes that a queen was passing through the Mercure Valley and wanted to quench her thirst in the clear waters of the spring. When she bent down, she dropped her wedding ring in the water. The queen then ordered her guards to search the length and breadth of the wellspring in the hope of finding it. When hopes were almost lost, a soldier saw a glint in the crystalline waters and exclaimed: "Vidi Anellum, mia Regina" ("I saw Anellum, my Queen"). Delighted to have found her ring, the queen baptized the place with the name of Vidianello.

Related Tags

Wells Water Electricity Power Stations

Know Before You Go

There is space for car parking at the main road entrance, and a few directly in front of the wellspring.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

Savor local cuisine across Rome, Florence & Venice.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Sebastiaan Atlas

Edited By

Osage, Michelle Cassidy

  • Osage
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

August 27, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.e-borghi.com/en/village/Potenza/293/viggianello
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_(Italian_river)
  • https://www.fondoambiente.it/luoghi/sorgente-del-mercure?ldc
  • http://www.prolocoviggianello.it/luoghi-di-interesse/
Sorgente del Mercure (Mercure Wellspring)
19 SP4
Viggianello, 85040
Italy
39.962246, 16.075531
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Italus

Viggianello, Italy

miles away

Bosco Magnano Waterfall

Cropani, Italy

miles away

Italia Viaduct

Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Viggianello

Viggianello

Italy

Places 2

Nearby Places

Italus

Viggianello, Italy

miles away

Bosco Magnano Waterfall

Cropani, Italy

miles away

Italia Viaduct

Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Viggianello

Viggianello

Italy

Places 2

Related Places

  • Tummel Bridge Hydro Power Station

    Tummel Bridge, Scotland

    Tummel Bridge Hydro Power Station

    One of Scotland's earliest hydroelectric power stations.

  • Bottom of the visiting gallery showing the cross-section of the qanat after the fault. The metal structure symbolises the location of the P5 and the gallery digging into the stone.

    Walferdange, Luxembourg

    Raschpëtzer Qanat

    A Roman water tunnel still flows 2,000 years on.

  • Steps lead down in to the water

    Brow Burn, Scotland

    Brow Well

    Mineral well linked to the final days of a beloved Scottish poet.

  • Middelkerke, Belgium

    Dronkenput (Drunken Well)

    A tilted water tank turned tourist attraction.

  • This beach owes its warm waters to an unusual source.

    Kapolei, Hawaii

    Electric Beach

    One of Oahu’s best snorkeling and diving spots was created by warm water discharged from the nearby power plant.

  • Sodbrunnen

    Zurich, Switzerland

    Sodbrunnen Rennweg

    A 700-year-old drinking fountain turned charity for the less fortunate of Zurich.

  • The hidden cistern.

    San Marino, San Marino

    Cistern of the Convent of San Francesco

    A historic cavernous cistern lies hidden behind a wall at San Marino’s stamp and coin museum.

  • The Pilchowice dam and hydroelectric power plant (north end)

    Pilchowice, Poland

    Pilchowice Hydroelectic Dam

    The tallest stone dam in Poland was opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.