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Thermal baths in Tuscany

A short guide to explore spa towns in Tuscany, a perfect gift idea to warm you up

Tuscany has countless natural springs and many spa towns that were established in ancient times thanks to this precious gift of the Earth.

There are both modern spas where hot thermal water is collected in (outdoor and/or indoor) swimming pools and you pay a day ticket at the entrance; others are free open air springs. Thermal spring water has different characteristics and contains different minerals, so they are suitable for treating various ailments.

Here is a short guide to explore spa towns in Tuscany, a perfect gift idea, even in the winter, to warm you up! 

Contents
  • 1.
    Gambassi Terme
  • 2.
    Petriolo
  • 3.
    Saturnia
  • 4.
    Venturina
  • 5.
    Casciana Terme
  • 6.
    Equi Terme
  • 7.
    San Giuliano Terme
  • 8.
    Bagni di Lucca
  • 9.
    Montecatini Terme
  • 10.
    Rapolano Terme
  • 11.
    San Casciano dei Bagni
  • 12.
    Bagni San Filippo
  • 13.
    Bagno Vignoni
  • 14.
    Chianciano Terme

Gambassi Terme

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Gambassi Terme has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age. Later it became an important centre for the Etruscans and Romans, too.

It was also a resting place for travellers and pilgrims who followed the via Francigena route.

Gambassi Terme spas opened in 1974 and boast waters that are scientifically proven to be therapeutic and curative for many ailments.

Petriolo

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Petriolo’s hot springs are immersed in beautiful woodland between Monticiano and Civitella Paganico. The water temperature stays constant at 43 degrees, for this reason, can be frequented in any season of the year, even in the coldest months.

The remains of the medieval baths and the ancient city wall built by the people of Siena in 1404 are impressive, making Bagni di Petriolo an exceptional example of fortified thermal baths. Known since Roman times, the baths were frequented by important personalities such as Cicero, Pope Pius II and the Medici and Gonzaga families. Today two spas are located nearby: Terme di Petriolo and Mercure.

Saturnia

Saturnia hot springs panoramic
Saturnia hot springs panoramic - Credit: Michele Cannone

Saturnia, supposedly the oldest town in Italy, has a long and tangled history. The area has been inhabited since the time of the Etruscans, who called it Aurinia. In this delightful village you can choose to enjoy the spas in the open air, bathing in the splendid Cascate del Mulino (Mulino waterfalls) or through the regenerating paths and treatments at the Terme Fonte Pura and Terme di Saturnia spas.

At Cascate del Mulino sulfur water gushes out at a temperature of 37.5 ° C, creating inviting pools of hot water and small-sized waterfalls, where you can spend hours of pure relaxation surrounded by the beautiful countryside.

Venturina

Venturina thermal pool
Venturina thermal pool - Credit: hoteltermeventurina.it

The thermal baths of Venturina, have Etruscan origins.

Here, the “Aquae Populoniae” gush forth, which touch 36°C, rich in sulphur, alkali and earth. The temperature stays constant and it is highly beneficial in treating respiratory ailments as well as mud and water therapies, inhalation and hydro treatments. It has two indoor and outdoor pools

The location is perfect for a holiday as is just 5 kilometres from the sea.

Casciana Terme

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In Casciana Terme visitors can enjoy the invigorating, slightly fizzy, mineral-filled waters which caress the skin and help de-stress. The beneficial effects of the spa waters redress the balance of mind and body.

The thermal waters flow at a constant temperature of 35,7 degrees and are famous for their therapeutic properties. Casciana Spa is equipped to treat various conditions, such as circulatory problems, rheumatism and respiratory and gynaecological conditions. 

Equi Terme

Equi Terme is situated close to Pizzo d’Uccello, one of the most striking peaks in the Apuan Alps in the Lunigiana area of Tuscany.

For many centuries, the rainwaters have been collected by the Apuan Alps, filtered by the sub-soil and then entrusted once again to the surface where, not far from the medieval hamlet, they are collected and used as curative waters. The chloride-sulphate-sodium waters ranging between 17 and 27°C, with an average of 24°C, are used to heal health problems affecting the respiratory and otolaryngology systems, skin complaints, bone and joint problems and angiology.

San Giuliano Terme

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San Giuliano Terme hosts Bagni di Pisa, an elegant spa where you can carry out a wide range of treatments ranging from massages, mud baths and aerosol baths.

The water of this spa has anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties, while its muds are a cure for joint ailments.

Bagni di Lucca

In Bagni di Lucca you can find waters rich in calcium, bicarbonate and sulphate that are beneficial for rheumatism as well as vascular and skin problems.

This town has been known since antiquity for the therapeutic virtues of its hot springs, and over the centuries it has hosted personalities such as Byron, Shelley, Matilda of Canossa and Napoleon Bonaparte with his beautiful sister Pauline.

Located on the slopes of Colle di Corsena Bagno Bernabò establishment offers several dressing rooms with a single 19th-century marble bathtub, used for thermal baths, mud baths, massages and other treatments 

 

Montecatini Terme

Terme Tettuccio fountain , Montecatini
Terme Tettuccio fountain , Montecatini - Credit: Comune di Montecatini

Montecatini Terme is considered to be the leading spa town in Italy, so it has a long tradition in using thermal water, pure and rich with precious elements; they are used in therapies as well as drinking water. Situated in the Valdinievole area, this spa town is well equipped for relaxing holidays in one of the many spas around the town: there are, in fact, three thermal centres immersed in the extensive thermal parkland.
The first establishments were built during the 15th century (even though the therapeutic properties of the waters in this area were already known about in Roman times), and many of these spas are built in Art Nouveau style. Il Tettuccio – one of the first establishments – is regarded as the symbol of the town.

Not far from Montecatini Terme, Monsummano Terme is home to a true natural paradise known as the Grotta Giusti.

Defined by the Maestro Giuseppe Verdi as the “eighth wonder of the world,” the millenary grotto runs for more than 200 meters in the subsoil, creating underground labyrinths. At the base of the cavity is water that stays at a rough temperature of about 36 degrees Celsius, which emits a health-enhancing, therapeutic steam, immersing guests in a detoxifying “sauna” of sorts. 

Rapolano Terme

Antica Querciolaia Spa in Rapolano
Antica Querciolaia Spa in Rapolano - Credit: termeaq.it

Founded by the Romans, Rapolano Terme boasts two ancient thermal baths, both open year round: Antica Querciolaia and Terme di San Giovanni. The thermal waters of Rapolano Terme were discovered in the late 1700s and are perfect for relaxation and wellness.

The Antica Querciolaia baths offer a long list of top-quality treatments with thermal waters that flow from springs at varying temperatures that range from 39-40°C to 22-25°C, and are characterized by high levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.

The five thermal pools of San Giovanni, all of which have different water temperatures, are spread over indoor and outdoor areas, allowing guests to relax and recharge against a backdrop of incredible panoramic views.

San Casciano dei Bagni

Fonteverde, the thermal pool with view on Val d'Orcia
Fonteverde, the thermal pool with view on Val d'Orcia

This place has Etruscan-Roman origins and the name itself reflects the very presence of thermal waters. Legend has it that the foundation of the first thermal baths were for Porsenna, the sovereign of Chiusi.

The thermal waters of Fonteverde Baths in San Casciano Terme contain sulphur, calcium and fluoride, and boast anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Through inhalation they act on the respiratory system with anti-inflammatory effects. They also have a peeling effect on the skin.

Bagni San Filippo

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- Credit: Shutterstock.com / aldas1950

Bagni San Filippo is a small village located between the Val d'Orcia and the Amiata known since ancient times for its hot thermal waters that have created, in the midst of a lush forest, an enchanted landscape of white limestone formations, small waterfalls and hot pools where you can bathe.

The most scenic area is the one known as the Balena Bianca, a large and delicate limestone formation

 

Bagno Vignoni

Bagno Vignoni
Bagno Vignoni - Credit: John Weiss

This village in the heart of the Val d’Orcia has long been a resting place for people travelling through the region along the Via Francigena. Bagno Vignoni has a 49-metre-long rectangular pool in the town centre, in piazza delle Sorgenti. 

The warm water comes from a deep, underground, volcanic spring and vaunts curative properties first discovered by the Etruscans.

The thermal waters at Bagno Vignoni are known for their special properties and are particularly renowned for their use in treating neuralgic and arthritic conditions, inflammation, rheumatism and respiratory and gynaecological problems.

Overlooking splendid Val d’Orcia and the Rocca di Tentennano Le Terme Spa resort , Terme Hotel Adler and Hotel Posta Marcucci offer its guests well-being in Bagno Vignoni’s thermal waters.

Chianciano Terme

Thermal pool Theia in Chianciano
Thermal pool Theia in Chianciano - Credit: Terme di Chianciano

It is situated 50 km southeast of Siena, located in the Valdichiana Senese area. During Roman times curative powers of Chianciano’s water became well known and villas were built in the area near the thermal baths.

Today Chianciano Terme, thanks to its therapeutic water that is reputed to cleanse the liver, is considered among the finest health resorts in Italy.

Don't miss the Piscine Theia, the bath of the Etruscans, which enriches the Thermal Baths of Chianciano with four outdoor and three indoor pools connected to each other, to enjoy a water massage with a view.

Tuscany the land of Hot Springs

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