Porsenna Labyrinth – Chiusi
A netting of Etruscan underground tunnels under the historic center of the city.
Porsenna Labyrinth is made up of a network of underground tunnels from the Etruscan period running under the historic center of Chiusi, in the province of Siena. Visitors can access the Cathedral Museum, with the same ticket.
According to legend, the mythical Etruscan king Porsenna was said to be buried in a golden sarcophagus placed on a golden chariot pulled by four golden horses accompanied by a golden hen and five thousand golden chicks. When archaeologists in the 1920s discovered the first galleries they mistakenly believed they had found the place where this treasure was hidden which was never uncovered. So only the name of Porsenna remained.
The most probable story is that the Labyrinth tunnels were part of a system of cisterns and water supply excavated by the Etruscans in the archaic era. The underground system is vast and ingenious, with a dense network of passages, on average one meter wide and 2 to 5 meters high, dug into the sandstone at a depth reaching up to about 25 meters underground, with cisterns and small basins.
A later tunnel connects to a large Etruscan-Roman cistern from the 1st century BC. covered by a double vault and supported by a large central pillar.
Above it, in the twelfth century, a defense tower was erected, which then became the bell tower of the cathedral, also visitable.
Various discoveries have been made in the tunnels, including a section of the city wall and the remains of a luxurious imperial private house. Along the way, there are inscriptions and urns in alabaster, marble, or travertine, from the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Opening hours visit the website>>>
Entrance with fee
Free for children up to 6 years
The reservation is recommended by calling +39 338.6827.859 – +39 349.2267.013 – +39 0578 226975 or send an email>>>
It is recommended to wear a safety mask and to keep an interpersonal distance of at least 1 meter.
For more information please call +39 0578 226975
ARE YOU IN CHIUSI?
The Bonifica path is a 62 km cycle path running on the banks between the cities of Arezzo and Chiusi on foot or by bicycle>>>
And after the visit, why not to taste the traditional foods of Tuscany >>>
Photos from the Facebook page of the labyrinth>>>
