During our recent hiking hilltop villages in Tuscany, we also spent a couple nights in Siena. Famous for its wines, every Tuscan village or town has small wine-tasting shops or cantinas. But one of these in Sienna features an ancient Etruscan burial chamber. There are hundreds of these tombs throughout the region. The owner, Federico Pieri, wanted to lower the floor at the back of his shop to get more storage space. During the process, a workman's jackhammer accidently broke through the floor to reveal a large burial chamber. Archeologists were consulted, and said it had already been robbed around 1300 AD. It's now used by the wine shop owner for tastings. Federico speaks good English and is happy to show you the burial chamber (regardless of whether you sample any of his Brunello di Montalcino). His Cantina del Brunello is located at Via della Sapienza, 66 -- not far uphill from the main Piazza del campo (famous for annual horse racing).
Please sign in to post.