The Rediscovered Sanctuary
An extraordinary archeological excavation in which the largest intact treasure from the Etruscan-Roman era was found
A few kilometers from the village of San Casciano dei Bagni, in the subsoil of the famous thermal baths, one of the most precious archeological treasures of recent times has been found: a large sanctuary complex from the Roman - and before that Etruscan - era, characterized by a quadrangular building with a large pool in the center, made of travertine.
Initially, the excavations focused on a specific spot on the site: two ancient columns - which bordered an abandoned private vegetable garden – suggest that a monumental building stood nearby.
Hence the extraordinary discovery: the structure of the Roman sanctuary is grafted onto the earlier one from the Etruscan period.
The hypothesis is that the main building may have been decommissioned in the early 5th century AD, coinciding with the rise of Christianity, but not destroyed: the basins were sealed with heavy stone columns and the deities in the sanctuary entrusted with respect to the water.
But that is not all: the impressive excavation work also returns 24 bronze statues - five of them nearly a meter high - in a perfect state of preservation.
A unique treasure that is accompanied by an incredible amount of inscriptions in Etruscan and Latin and to which are added a number of interesting votive offerings, such as organs and anatomical parts corresponding to the parts of the body for which healing was sought from the deities.
The wonders brought to light by the excavation will be housed in the new museum to be built in a 16th-century palace in the historic center of San Casciano dei Bagni, which will be joined in the future by a real archeological park.
The Rediscovered Sanctuary can be visited thanks to the tours organized by the Gruppo Archeologico (Archeological Group) of the Municipality of San Casciano dei Bagni.
