The Roman Cistern

Montaione sightseeing

The Roman Cistern has been discovered in the '60 in locality Sant'Antonio in an aera called "Il Muraccio".

It consists of three separated but communicating water containers and dated back to the II century. At that time (as it sumilar to other founded in Tuscany) the cistern was covered with barrel vaults.

The cistern is an underground structure where the only element on the ground is the north prospect. It's possible to observe the building technique of this structure in “opus caementicum” made by a wall without mortar with a mix of hydraulic lime and small piece of limestone.
The cistern was covered by brics to spaced with stones. The terminal part is made by limestone bigger than in the central part. The internal side presents residuals of the old plaster, the other partof the cistern that lies on the ground has been destroyed.

Watering was made by a piping in direction N-NE and under a mortar of limestone.
Cistern was capacious of more than 200.000 liters coming from the nearby water springs that are still presents at north of Poggio all'Aglione. The Cistern was used as a water reservoir to be used by a town on a valley of whom it wasn't possible to set a location.