Water Museum in Siena
The great challenge to bring water to Siena
The Water Museum occupies the three floors, two of eighteenth-century origin and the third one of nineteenth-century origin, of the building that is over the Fountains of Pescaia. Thanks to a very rich multimedia and audiovisual path, it allows visitors to know and appreciate one of the most extraordinary creations in the history of Siena, city born and developed far from the rivers: the system of the “bottini”, of the fountains and artifacts that used to carry the water to the city.
The visitor is immersed in the tale of the “bottini” (real underground aqueducts, tunnels dug in the sandstone, also partly walled, that after collecting the waters of the sources and the infiltrations of rainwater, they brought them to the homes of the city) and the fountains through films, stories and objects that make the visit particularly engaging and pleasant. In the audio documentation there are also the testimonies of the elders of the city that help us understand how much of the history, of the structure of the city and of the memory of the Sienese is related to this fascinating, complex water system that is hidden underground.
The Water Museum has 10 multimedia installations with 12 video projectors, 11 airing systems, 10 audio systems, 8 sensory systems and 4 monitors.
The complete visit, curated by the Associazione La Diana, also includes a visit inside the bottino of the Fountains of Pescaia.