San Casciano dei Bagni

San Casciano dei Bagni is a small Tuscan town about halfway between Rome and Florence. It grew up around 52 hot springs that produce, the Italian tourism authorities insist, "5.5×106 L (1,500,000 US gal) of 42 °C (108 °F) water" per day. That's a lot of hot water.

Various ancient sources tell us that the baths were first developed by Porsenna, an Etruscan king of Chiusi who lived in the sixth century BC, and that later visitors included Augustus and the historian Livy.

You can still bathe in water from these hot springs, either in this modern facility

or in the remains of a spa constructed in the 17th century by a Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Otherwise San Casciano seems like a pleasant Tuscan town, plenty of old stone buildings 

and charming little squares.

San Casciano is in the news because of recent archaeological discoveries. Archaeologists had been poking around the place for centuries, but had never really delved into the heart of the ancient bath complex until 2019. (Notice the telescoping poles put in place to keep the walls from falling on the excavators. Very proper.)

Aerial view of the excavated area.

What they found was a series of at least two ancient temples: an earlier Etruscan one and then a later Roman construction dating to around 150 BC. I believe this is the earlier sanctuary.

Not surprisingly, they found many coins; the habit of throwing coins into sacred pools is very ancient.

But, most wonderfully, they found that when the old Etruscan temple was replaced, the builders carried out a complex rededication ritual that involved burying every part of the old temple beneath the new. The buried material included an amazing array of bronze statues, which were remarkably well preserved.

Amazing.

Now the better specimens are on display in Rome; some will eventually return to an archaeological park being developed at the site.