Top of the World
The Bottini of Siena. While the tourists crowd the surface, you can visit a very quiet and mysterious area of Siena: we are talking about the Bottini, an underground network of aqueducts 25 km long that runs under the heart of the city, dug in the Middle Ages to overcome the shortage of water and intercept all sources of liquid.This complex system of tunnels represents a fundamental element of the city's history and culture. The bottini and its sources, in fact, were the only water resource for Siena for hundreds of years, until the water from the Vivo springs arrived in the city from Monte Amiata, thanks to the construction of the new aqueduct whose distribution network was completed in 1918 and brought water into the homes of the Sienese.There are two main branches of the bottini, the oldest one, the Bottino maestro di Fontebranda, which is located at a considerable depth and brings water from Fontebecci to Fontebranda, and the Bottino maestro di Fonte Gaia, built around 1300, which feeds the fountain of Piazza del Campo, Fonte Gaia and with the overflow, other minor fountains. They are still functioning and can be visited.
