Cisternone Romano, Ancient Roman cistern in Formia, Italy.
The Cisternone Romano is an underground Roman water storage structure in Formia covering approximately 1,200 square meters in area. Inside, 53 central pillars support the roof, while additional columns along the side walls stabilize the structure and divide the water sections.
The water basin was built during ancient times and served the population of Formia as a central system for collecting rainwater. It remained in use until the 1800s before eventually being abandoned.
The name Cisternone literally means the large reservoir and reflects how important this structure was to the city. You can still see today how the pillars and walls bear witness to the Romans' daily engineering work.
The entrance is located about 10 meters below the current street level at Via della Torre 18, which means you need to descend several flights of stairs. The underground location maintains stable, comfortable temperatures year-round with no direct sun or heat exposure.
The basin could hold about 7,000 cubic meters of water and reached a height of about 7.5 meters, making it the largest structure of its kind for a long time. This capacity allowed the city to survive longer dry periods.
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