found in the hot springs near siena, in tuscany. they were discovered under the ruins of a roman bathhouse, as our rome correspondent mark lowen reports slowly, painstakingly, they rescue the priceless, the earth offering up treasure that it has preserved. 2a exquisite ancient bronze statues that had lain beneath the thermal baths of a tuscan town for 2,300 years, protected by the mud and hot waters. dated to the roman era and its etruscan predecessor, thrilling archaeologists. translation: we ve witnessed an exceptional discovery. - from the bottom of the pool, bronze statues from between the second and first centuries bc have re emerged. they are masterpieces of antiquity that open a new chapter in the history of craftsmanship and the sacred life of the etruscans and romans.
the sacred life of the etruscans and romans. the objects found, votive offerings along with thousands of coins, have inscriptions in etruscan and latin. the statues of gods, goddesses and mere mortals are thought to have been owned by noble families and emperors, adorning a sanctuary they were then probably immersed in the thermal waters in a ritual. with the local authorities we are working on the objects, says one of the 60 archaeologists now involved, so as to restore what s been found. and so one of the most important discoveries of bronzes in the mediterranean lay hidden for more than two millennia by the baths in which they were put. you gave to the water, says one expert, because you hoped that the water would give something back to you. how true that seems now. mark lowen, bbc news, rome.
for the legs nice. just like most time-honored dishes, no part of the pigeon goes to waste. this has to cook altogether in this pan with olive oil and then the heart and the liver. yeah, it s very bloody. everything. the kidneys, the liver, the heart. yeah. everything. yeah. it looks like you ve killed someone. yeah, someone. carrots, onion, thyme and celery go into the pot. then it all needs to cook low and slow for up to four hours to make it meltingly tender. luckily, valentina was up with the lark today and started this one earlier. okay, wow. thank god for the etruscans. i ve always said that.
this is the house of pigeon, my favorite pigeon, you know. your favorite pigeon. after you know why. yes, yes. we re going to taste it, yeah. yeah. yeah. what we re looking at here are, in fact, dovecotes, carved into the walls by the etruscans who founded orvieto over 2,000 years ago. wow. encouraging pigeons to nest here gave the early towns folk a source of nutritious meat, without having to stray outside the city walls. they could just come and go, but this is where they would roost. yes. when would they eat the pigeon? what stage in the pigeon s life? oh, usually when they are ready to fly, when they was when they re babies. yeah, babies, the babies are for food. for food, right. today, pigeon is still an orvietan staple. braised, it s one of the town s signature dishes and any