[Fig.2 - The Samudra Manthan, the process of creating a new Universe according to Hindu and Buddhist Lore]
The first point of interest for my research concerns the name itself. Although the term "Merro" eventually evolved into "Merlo" (a kind of small crow)—a shift attributed to a rather unconvincing dialectal variation—it appears to be far more ancient than Latin. In Indo-Aryan languages—most notably Sanskrit—the term appears as Meru, Meroh, or Merau. Meru is the name of the mountain around which the cosmic serpent Vasuki was coiled—like a rope—to generate a new Universe, in a ritual known in ancient Hindu texts as the Samudra Manthan (the Churning of the Ocean of Milk).
Meroh and Merau are grammatical forms of Meru (genitive/ablative or locative cases). In all the archaic cultures included in my research, a "gate" or "entrance" is understood not as a closure, but as a space-time passage between one dimension and another. Following the thread of this symbolic concept—which links Mesoamerican cenotes to the entrances of sacred wells in Benares (India), Central Java (Indonesia), Angkor Wat (Cambodia), and Amagafuchi (Japan)—it becomes clear that the modern term "well" and the ancient term "gate" serve the same function. In Sanskrit, "gate" or "entrance" is Dvara (Dwarah); thus, dvāra merōḥ ("of the gate or entrance of Mount Meru") or dvāra merau ("at the gate or entrance of Mount Meru") could well have been the names given in ancestral times to the Pozzo del Merro (the "Merro's Well").
Furthermore, the Latin counterpart to Dvara is foris ("gate" or "entrance"), which over time also acquired the meaning of foramen—a "hole" or "opening." This linguistic evolution—which represents a semantic involution—may have obscured the original significance of a site that was almost certainly considered sacred, as it served as a direct gateway to the subterranean realm of chthonic entities, such as the Nagas. This interpretation arises quite naturally if one posits Meru as the origin of the site’s name. The Sanskrit mer- is linked to the root nag- —both cosmologically and geographically—with Mount Meru serving as the immovable center of the Universe, or its axis mundi. In Puranic geography, minor mountain ranges—such as the one known as "Nag"—are specifically identified among the concentric rings of peaks surrounding the base of Mount Meru (a concept that later informed Dante’s vision of the concentric circles of Hell and the Mount of Purgatory).
[Fig.3 - The Patala or Naga Loka, described above at the bottom of Vishnu Vishvarupa's Legs]
The Nagas—immensely powerful beings capable of assuming either a hybrid human-serpent form or that of a pure serpent—inhabit the subterranean realms of Patala-loka (or Naga-loka), which lie at the foundation of the cosmic center from which Mount Meru rises.
Although the primary meaning of "Naga" is "serpent," in ancient Sanskrit (as found in the early Vedas and Puranas), the term was also used to denote mountains, giant trees, and even elephants—a usage that offers an intriguing perspective on the true nature of Lord Ganesha. This creates a conceptual bridge linking the immovable pillars upon which the Earth rests—mountains and trees, understood as na-ga or "that which does not move"—with the undulating, fluid motion of the serpent.
At a deeper, cosmological level, the axis and the serpent are closely linked (as seen, for example, in the symbol of the caduceus), with the latter acting as a vital fluid that protects and electromagnetically “charges” the axis of the Universe.
One final clue regarding the function of the Pozzo del Merro as a potential gateway to the realm of the Nagas is the presence of sulfur—in increasingly higher concentrations as water was extracted by ACEA. In the ancient world, sulfurous waters—characterized by bubbling, high temperatures, and intense vapors—were associated with the subterranean domain of serpentine deities and dragons. During the Samudra Manthan (the Churning of the Ocean of Milk), the friction generated by Vasuki against Mount Meru produced, among other things, immense heat within the waters below.
Furthermore, the presence of sulfur suggests the existence of a deep-seated thermal or geothermal reservoir, as subterranean heat releases minerals and gases—such as hydrogen sulfide—from the surrounding rock strata. The Merro's Well certainly warrants a much more thorough investigation.