The Santuario Ritrovato of San Casciano dei Bagni never ceases to amaze: announced new discoveries

The latest excavation campaign gives new precious bronze pieces

At the end of the 2024 excavation campaign, gold and snakes have emerged from the thermal waters of San Casciano dei Bagni, the Tuscan village between Umbria and Lazio that has recently become known for a series of amazing archaeological discoveries.

Previous excavation campaigns

It was the long gone 2007 when in San Casciano dei Bagni some archaeological excavations brought to light the beautiful Necropolis of Balena, a cluster of six tombs made up of about a hundred nests. Since then, San Casciano dei Bagni has become such a destination of interest for scholars and researchers that, in 2018, it was decided to finance a new excavation campaign.

In the summer of 2020, the first major discovery occurred. From the exploration of the Bagno Grande (the basin where still today hot thermal springs) a precious altar dedicated to the god Apollo emerged. This great finding was then followed by the discovery of a large tank, numerous other altars, coins and many other valuable archaeological finds.

However, as often happens, we had to wait for the major discovery. On November 2022, more than 20 bronze statues dated between the 2nd century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. were found inside the Sanctuary. The finding was so exceptional that it is considered the most important in Italy after "The Bronzes of Riace" and between the most significant ones in the history of the ancient Mediterranean. On November 2023, a young Apollo in marble of about two meters was also found, a copy of the Sauroctonic Apollo by Praxiteles.

The latest findings

The 2024 excavation campaign has returned a series of new bronze treasures, among which stand out some statues, to which coins, crowns and jewels are added. Particularly evocative is the discovery of some bronze snakes, found at the base of the basin, among which stands out a specimen of almost one meter long. The placement of these pieces is not random at all: they used to be placed where the water flowed, because with their spires represented the sacredness of the source. The figure of the snake inside the Sanctuary is therefore particularly significant, as genius loci of the place.

There are also human figures or humanized ones, such as bodies and heads, four of which are of considerable size, with inscriptions that allow to reconstruct their identity. Particularly significant is the statue of a child, forged in II sec. BC, portraited with his vestina. The boy holds a ball in his hands that still moves rotating on the palm. Archaeologists are certain that this figure, as well as the snake, is also related to divination.

In the light of these new discoveries, anticipation grows for the New National Museum that will be built in San Casciano dei Bagni to house the findings of the Sanctuary. The Museum is supposed to open before the end of 2026.

A travel idea

Waiting to admire the famous bronzes in their place of origin, there are already many good reasons to visit San Casciano dei Bagni, as for example the recent inclusion of the town in the network Best Tourism Villages of the United Nations Agency for Tourism. Among centuries of history to be revealed and breathtaking landscapes, this Tuscan village is certainly a destination that it is difficult to resist to.

Discover a travel idea dedicated to the discovery of San Casciano dei Bagni and its treasures. The sacred waters of San Casciano dei Bagni: a three-day tour to discover San Casciano dei Bagni and its riches. You will visit the Santurio Ritrovato, you will enjoy a nice bath in the thermal waters and participate to the hunt of one of the true jewels of the Valdichiana Senese: the truffle!

Fort further information: info@valdichianaliving.it.