Guided tours to the Santa Maria della Scala underground
Posted on 11. May, 2012 by admin in Uncategorized
An advice for your holidays in Siena, besides the historical itineraries and the DOC products tastings: we are talking about guided tours to “water routes”, a charming journey through the ancient sources of the city.
The first tour will be on Saturday 12th May (the event will be weekly) at 10:30 am at Santa Maria della Scala, which undergorund hosts the water system that provided the hospital, that now became a museum. The tour is organized by the association La Diana, that plan also others interesting visits to the “bottini di Siena” and the Water Museum, a series of routes dedicated to who want to discover this clever system that allowed to take advantage from the natural sources.
See venues usually not open to public and “invisible” because located underground is a great chance; it’s a unique place because these galleries are dug in the rock and have a lenght of 25 km, built during the XIII century to use the water-bearing stratum of Siena.
About legends, the workers that built the “bottini” (the name derives from “botte”, barrel) often had visions: some pixies (called “omiccioli” and “fuggisoli”) occasionally appeared in the dark of underground like a sudden lightning.
The association La Diana offers the guided tour to the Water Museum, that requires reservation, for groups of 15 people at a time; the Museum consists of three floors and was designed by the prestigious Studio Azzurro in Milan and Mizar in Rome, situated above the Fonti della Pescaia.
Don’t miss the opportunity to discover one of the most mysterious and enchanting sides of Siena, the water routes are waiting for you! The reservation is always required and you can call the phone number 0577/534511 before the previous Thursday. For all the details visit the official website of the association: www.ladianasiena.it
