Tuscany continues to amaze us. The region, admired all over the world, visited by millions of tourists every year and a bona fide “artistic magnet” for centuries, acquired a new jewel for its crown.
In the Siena province, in the very same hills we know for Montepulciano and Montalcino wines, and for the gentle, undulating roads leading to the lakes Trasimeno and Bolsena, there is a small village of just 1,500. It is listed among the Borghi più Belli d’Italia and received a touristic-environmental award from the Touring Club Italiano thanks to its thermal baths.
San Casciano dei Bagni lives off all this, and it’s famous for the wellness it gifts to those dipping into its naturally warm waters. A natural paradise, known since time immemorable. This is the reason why archaeologists considered the area interesting and wanted to investigate it further.
And so, little by little, just a stone’s throw from the thermal baths, digs brought to light a temple dedicated to Apollo first, and then twenty-four bronze statues in impeccable condition, perfectly preserved by warm thermal muds. In the not-distant future, the area will become an archaeological park, and soon, the statues – which have been unearthed by a team of international experts – will become a must-see, a new tourist attraction for all those visiting Tuscany.
It’s not a case locals candidly declared to the Guardian that those thermal muds are like “petrolio,” oil: they are tomorrow’s wealth.
“This discovery doesn’t only offer San Casciano new touristic and cultural opportunities, but could become the beginning of a true renaissance,” Agnese Carletti, the village’s mayor, declared. Carletti officially stated that “San Casciano will have a new museum, which will become the home of these exceptional statues, and an archaeological park. Two new sources of development, along with the galvanizing presence of so many young archaeologists from all over the world who, thanks to this dig, bring a new lease of life to the village for several months every year.” It is hoped the discovery will benefit tourism, which is a lifeline of the Tuscan economy but has suffered a lot in recent years both because of the pandemic and, more recently, because of the rise in energy costs due to the conflict in Ukraine. But also that it will help fight depopulation in the area.
In other words, the discovery makes us understand what Italy’s “petrolio,” the country’s raw material that has been generating growth and development for years, really is: arts and culture. They are not the past, but something to preserve and protect today so that they can become a resource for the future.
Gabriele Nannetti, the superintendent for archaeology, fine arts and landscape for the Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo provinces said that “The discoveries of the Great Bath represent an extraordinary excellence in a context, that of our archaeological patrimony, already incredibly rich, and that the Superintendence must protect. All this confirms once more how
archaeology can surprise us at any given time with new, incredible discoveries and research possibilities.”
Material wealth, of course, jobs, tourism, a boost to the local economy, but also cultural wealth, a material and also intangible patrimony that placed Italy at the top of the famous UNESCO list.
“This exceptional discovery confirms once more that Italy is a land of immense, unique hidden treasures. The stratification of civilizations is a specific characteristic of Italian culture,” Italy’s minister for culture Gennaro Sangiuliano said while visiting the Istituto Centrale del Restauro, where early intervention on the San Casciano statues is undergoing. “Studying and valorizing this treasure enhances the spiritual growth of our culture and could represent a key moment for the rediscovery of areas little known to international tourism. It is also, of course, a boost for the nation’s cultural industry.” We only need to believe and invest in it but not only economically: also with creativity and spirit of divulgation.
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