Cosa

The most impressive feature of Cosa is the 1.5km/1mile long circuit of walls, reinforced by 18 towers, some of which are still standing (including the Porta Romana, through which the site is entered). Within the town can be seen the remains of the forum with a basilica, two temples and the walled acropolis with the capitol. There is also a small museum. From the site a road runs down past the massive Torre San Biagio, built by the Saracens, to the so-called Tagliata Etrusca (Etruscan cut), a drainage channel cut through the tufa. The name is misleading, for the channel was cut by the Romans (though the Romans did in fact gain their knowledge of hydraulic engineering from the Etruscans). The channel was designed not only to prevent the silting-up of the ancient harbor but also to drain the low-lying hinterland and preserve the little Lago di Burano, to the southeast, from degenerating into marshland. Today, fully 2,000 years after its construction, the Tagliata Etrusca still fulfillls its function. On the water's edge is a large cavity in the rock known as the Spacco of Bagno della Regina (Queen's Bath). Popularly supposed to be a rock sanctuary, it is in fact part of the drainage works.