Casa Gotica e Cisterna Romana (La Bot)

Beneath the Casa Gotica on Via Browning in Asolo lies La Bot, a Roman cistern associated with the aqueduct of ancient Acelum. The underground brick-vaulted chambers preserve part of the water infrastructure that served the Roman town.

Why it matters

La Bot offers an unusual view of Roman Asolo below the modern town. The Civic Museum dates the cistern to the first century BC. It formed part of the aqueduct system of Acelum, the Roman municipium whose remains also include a forum, theatre, baths and roads.

What to notice

The cistern’s vaulted brick chambers and water-holding form reveal its original function. Above them stands the Casa Gotica on Via Browning, layering a later building over the Roman structure. The nearby Museo Civico’s archaeological collections interpret the wider remains of Acelum.

Context and history

Acelum developed as a Roman municipium under Augustus. La Bot was a covered cistern at the end of the town’s aqueduct, where water could be received and stored. The Roman chambers were later incorporated into domestic and service spaces beneath the Casa Gotica. In modern times, speleologists documented the underground complex, and the Civic Museum incorporated it into its Asolo Sotterranea interpretation programme.