Underground Tunnel and Vertical Farm

In ancient times, this basement was used as a warehouse for the storage of raw materials; during the Second World War it became an air-raid shelter and today it is transformed into a vertical farm, with a self-sufficient plant for the sustainable cultivation of vegetables and micro-greens. The Tunnel runs for 186 meters under the historic center of the Torrita di Siena hamlet.

‘Vertical Farms’, in their broadest definition, are agricultural structures, designed to cultivate plant species in a controlled environment, using the space vertically, rather than horizontally. The plants are overlapped and nourished using special irrigation and lighting techniques. All this allows the plants to grow without soil. Furthermore, these ‘vertical greenhouses’ offer numerous advantages: efficient use of space, reduction of water consumption, independence from climatic conditions and control of the environment (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and light).

This project is the first case in Italy and one of the few cases in the world of ‘Indoor Vertical Farm’ (agricultural production in a controlled environment).

The rest of the underground includes a historical itinerary, which recounts the agricultural, economic and social progress of the Torrita di Siena area, through temporary exhibitions.