The Vicarello votive deposit was discovered in 1852 during renovation works on the thermal establishment at the Aquae Apollinares, on the shores of Lake Bracciano. During the demolition of earlier structures, workers uncovered a substantial accumulation of metal objects obstructing the rocky fissure from which the thermal spring emerged. In order to recover the material, it was necessary to lower the water level, bringing to light artefacts that had been intentionally deposited within the spring, despite the high temperature of the waters.
The discovery revealed the existence of a ritual practice that continued for centuries, involving the offering of objects to the deities protecting the healing waters. Fragments of weighed metal (aes rude), coins, several metal vessels and other objects were deliberately thrown into the spring, forming a dense and stratified deposit. The sequence of materials, already observed at the time of discovery, documents continuous use of the site from the Archaic period to at least the fourth century AD.
In this context, the act of offering was not driven by the accumulation or concealment of wealth, but represented a symbolic gesture of devotion. The value of the gift was determined by its weight, material and ritual meaning rather than by its monetary function.
The inscriptions and figurative objects recovered allow Apollo to be identified as the principal healing deity of the sanctuary, accompanied by the Nymphs and other figures of the Roman pantheon. The Vicarello votive deposit thus provides exceptional evidence of the relationship between water, ritual and healing, and helps to illuminate the role of sacred springs as places of religious experience and collective memory in the ancient world.