Present Status
Today, the water aquifer below the city of Bonifacio is mainly composed of brackish water. However, the stairway of King Aragon can be visited and is actually used for touristic purposes.
Hydria Virtual Museum
Hydria Virtual Museum
The Barthelemy well is, since 1994, a property of territorial collectivity of Corsica. Studies are now carried out in order to determine the condition of the construction. The aim is to create a touristic walking route that starts from descending inside the St. Barthelemy well and ends going back up from the external route through King Aragon’s steps.
The cistern under the loggia of St. Marie Majeure church was transformed into a conference room in 1980. Unfortunately, the water proof works have proved ineffective, as the room becomes flooded every time it rains. Consequently, the conference room was closed and remains unused for 20 years. Nevertheless, the city allows guided tours organised by “les guides de l’extrême sud”.
The cistern under the barrack is the property of territorial collectivity of Corsica. Like the barracks, it is now out of use. Its future depends on the future of the entire building.
The municipality of Bonifacio has been working on an Agenda 21 since 2012. During the council meetings, an hypothesis was ventured to start reusing some of the cisterns or the well of St. Barthelemy to supply water for the public gardens and cleaning roads, etc. The feasibility of such an endeavour needs to be investigated through a study.