The huge cistern which supplied the camp is without a doubt one of the most spectacular monuments in Albano and in the Roman world as a whole.

The cistern was designed and built by the legion's architect (praefecti fabrum) to provide water for the camp and the surrounding buildings.

The ground-plan is roughly rectangular, with long sides measuring 47,90 m. and 45,50 m. and the short sides 29,62 m. and 31,90 m. Part of the cistern was bewn directly out of the rocky bank and the rest was built in masonry. It is divided into five aisles with vaulted roofs that are supported by 36 pillars and and it is coated with a waterproof plaster (ocus signinum).

The Albano cistern is not only noteworthy for its size, for it has a capacity of over 10,000 m³, but  also an account of the fact that it is still in a perfect working condition after nearly 2000 years. It gets its water supply from springs along the slopes of the volcanic crater of the Albano lake, and this is convoyed through the very same conduits that were constructed by the Romans!

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