Camalò: Centre of the World or Portal to the Underworld
Lately, I find myself recalling places and stories from Italy. Here is a recollection from the Province of Treviso, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.
The village is called Camalò. It’s not particularly remarkable to look at or to pass through. Back in the 1970s, when driving to work from Treviso to Montebelluna, I would sometimes choose to detour through Camalò. It wasn’t for the village, and the route was actually longer, but I enjoyed the drive through the countryside.
My Trevigiani and Montebellunesi friends told me this story:
Camalò is the Centre of the World
Who knew?
According to local legends, when god was creating the earth he needed a spot in which to place his compass (or his thumb, depending on which version of the story being told). He chose Camalò. Placing the compass in what would become the centre of town, he drew a circle which outlined the planet. A very deep pit remained after god withdrew his compass (or thumb).
The spot was marked with a fountain. It’s not a particularly fancy fountain and you wouldn’t give it a second look if you didn’t know the story.
But, like most places and most stories, there’s more to it.
The fountain itself is located over a very deep pit. According to archaeologists, the pit had been there for many centuries and, in 1352, the local head family (whose name seems unknown or poorly documented) either re-drilled or re-opened the pit. In 1859 a local historian, Francesco Scipiano Fapanni wrote:
"Di fronte alla chiesa esiste un grande pozzo profondo… Vi è un detto volgare: il Creatore piantò a Camalò il compasso per segnare il mondo. La punta del compasso aprì il pozzo. Perciò dicono: Camalò nel centro del mondo."
Meaning:
“In front of the Church there exists a large and deep pit. A vulgar (i.e. popular) saying relates that the Creator placed his compass there in order to draw the world. The compass point opened the pit and this is why Camalò is the centre of the world”
The legend further clarifies that the pit is so deep that it reaches the centre of the earth down to the molten core.
According to modern internet sources, the pit was demolished in the 1950s to make way for a road. In 2019, a copy of the pit (or at least the surface) was placed in the square and was surrounded by a cage dating from 1868. This cage had been kept by a local all those years. This refurbished or copied pit is no longer functional, but serves to remind us of the local village history.
I’m a little skeptical of this internet story, since in the 1970s — after the pit was supposedly destroyed — I recall seeing the fountain there and asking my friends about it. But perhaps my memory is flawed.
What’s in a Name?
Some believe that the name Camalò is a derivative of Ca'Malus (Veneto dialect for Casa del Malato) meaning House of the Diseased or Sick. During outbreaks of the plague, the Venetian nobility would escape to the countryside taking up residence in comfortable villas. On the other hand, those who were ill (either of plague or leprosy) would be sent to country pest-houses. There is some notion that the local Church was expanded (and profited financially) to accommodate these newcomers. Additionally there was a road called “via Lazzaretto” (“lazzaretto” means “quarantine hospital”) where the building was believed to have been located. Despite some foundation ruins in the vicinity, there is no archaeological evidence to support this theory.
Was it God, Crossroads, Water, or the Underworld?
Archaeologists believe the pit dates from Roman times.
Aside from the religious theory of god’s compass, there could also be a simpler reason rooted in geography. The village is almost equidistant from Treviso, Montebelluna, Castelfranco, and Conegliano — all important centres of trade throughout the centuries.
Another reason may be due to water. Given the depth of the pit, it likely would have provided cleaner and less polluted water: so, a centre of the world for reasons of health and to further enhance the health attraction of the village (and fill their coffers perhaps?).
Yet another possible theory — the word “mondo” comes from the Latin “Mundus”. Most know that “Mundus” means “World”, but the older origin of the word comes from the Etruscan word for “pit”. This early Roman and Etruscan “pit” was considered a portal to the underworld.
In Latin, Mundus could also refer to the Mundus Cereris. “Cereris” refers to the goddess “Ceres” — who was concerned with agriculture, harvests and motherhood. Ceres’ world was a sacred space, while Mundus (not a god) referred to a more physical cosmos.
The Mundus Cereris (Cere’s Pit) was a ritual pit where the first fruits of a town or the first clumps of earth dug up to begin building were tossed into it. Usually, the Mundus was then opened three times yearly to allow the spirits of the dead to commune with those of the living.
And so, a detour on a commute to work allowed me to learn of a rich, centuries-old tradition. A sacred place hardly visible, yet traces still there if one cares to look.
I have used this quote before from Claude Levi-Strauss, and once again it seems apt to express my thoughts on humble little Camalò:
All sacred things must have their place.
It could even be said that being in their place
is what makes them sacred.
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