Perched atop three Tuscan hills, the ancient walled city of Siena is famous for many things. Its medieval streets and architecture have barely changed in 800 years. Its polychrome marble cathedral rivals the beauty of Florence’s own. And its historic Piazza del Campo, hosting the world famous Palio horserace every year, is acclaimed as the most beautiful civic square in Italy. But beneath the pavements and palazzi lie the tunnels, or bottini, constructed in the 12th century that kept Siena alive; these are the underground aqueducts of Siena and this is their story.

A brief history of Siena
The original founders of the hilltop city of Siena are lost in the mists of time. Legend has it that Senius and Aschius, sons of Remus and nephews of Romulus the founder of Rome, established Siena, hence the city’s emblem of a she-wolf suckling twins. The truth may be a little less romantic with evidence of Etruscan settlement dating back to between 900 & 400 BC. The Romans arrived next, followed by the Lombards of Germany bringing trade prosperity in the 700s AD. And then Charlemagne’s Franks took over in 774 AD before the Senese gained independence in the 11th century. But whatever Siena’s history or whoever was ruling, there was one problem that all residents faced - how to make water flow uphill into the walled hilltop citadel.