Heritage: the “Cisternone” of Asciano granted free to the Municipality of San Giuliano for 10 years
Pisa, 8 April 2022. The “cisternone” of Asciano, the historic building owned by the Municipality of Pisa which is part of the Medici Aqueduct, will be granted free of charge to the Municipality of San Giuliano Terme for a period of ten years. This is what is foreseen by a resolution of the Pisan Municipal Council with which the text of the agreement that will regulate the relations between the two bodies was approved. The structure – located in the Anpil Valle delle Fonti Protected Area and restored in the past by the Municipality of Pisa will be in collaboration with the Municipality of San Giuliano Terme with the co-financing of the Tuscany Region – used by the Thermal Municipality for guided tours, thematic exhibitions and events of enhancement of the territory. The Municipality of San Giuliano Terme will also be responsible for the ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the property for the entire duration of the concession. “This is an important historical agreement that must achieve a double result. Raffaella Bonsangue, deputy mayor of the Municipality of Pisa with responsibility for the heritage. On the one hand, that of enhancing and returning to the users of the area a structure of the territory, which had the function of channeling the waters from the Valle delle Fonti towards Pisa; on the other hand, guaranteeing greater efficiency in the protection and maintenance of an asset which, otherwise, would be in use and therefore more subject to wear and tear over time “. “This agreement – commented the councilors of San Giuliano Terme Gabriele Meucci (implementation of the program) and Filippo Pancrazzi (environment) – are adapted to make usable a commodity of great value such as Cisternone which is perfectly suited to ours in the history and vocation of the territory. The Cisternone is a fundamental part of the architectural complex of the Medici aqueduct and had the function of channeling the waters coming from the Valle delle Fonti to Pisa after their storage in the large tank located inside. We are ready to manage it for several years, giving continuity and enhancing a wonderful place. With the pandemic, citizens have rediscovered the beauties of their respective municipalities of residence and there are many in both San Giuliano Terme and Pisa. precisely in this process, in which we plan to involve the schools of the territory as well une of Pisa for this act and for the collaboration “.
The building, now owned by the Municipality of Pisa, was built in 1695 as part of the architectural complex of the Medici aqueduct and had the function of channeling the waters coming from the Valle delle Fonti to Pisa after storing them in a large tank located at inside. When the rains clouded the waters of the springs, the tank allowed the debris to be deposited and thanks to an underground canalization (still existing today) it reached the house of the fountain who had the task of regulating the flow of water to be channeled towards the city of Pisa. Inside the “Cisternone”, a reproduction tank once dedicated to the collection of water, there is also a model that in 1: 1000 scale of the Medici aqueduct of Pisa and its territory, in the condition in which it is found in the first half of the 19th century. The model has an extension of about 60 square meters and is positioned inside the tank once dedicated to the collection of water. A structural glass flooring allows visitors to “walk” over the pool while admiring the model placed inside.