A Soak with a View in Tuscany
Thursday, December 29, 2011Bagno Vignoni, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We'd love to hear from you!
Next on the itinerary: Visions of Venice
T
hese ancient steaming waters have soaked the Medicis and Saint Catherine of Siena and we have long wanted to experience them for ourselves. Bubbling up from the depths of the earth at around 100 degrees F, they're a fabulous place for a winter soak while gazing through the mist at the beautiful Tuscan countryside.
We spend a relaxing hour paddling in the warm pool, positioning ourselves a few minutes at a time under the cascade for a pummel of heat on our backs.
The original pool is no longer open for bathing, but is the center of the ancient village, with several interesting boutiques and eateries.
The hot springs bubble up at one end of the basin,
with a sheltering loggia, bearing a plaque with an ancient text dedicating the pool to nymphs of Roman mythology, at the opposite end.
The never-ending supply of water is good for more than just baths. At the edge of town are the ruins of multiple mills,
the stony ground webbed with millraces and dotted with crumbling stone walls.
Bagno Vignoni is a charming and relaxing experience - one we are eager to share with Music and Markets guests on future tours.
Labels: Bagno Vignoni, thermal baths
posted by Anne and Kirk @ 3:26 AM
2 Comments:
That sounds wonderful and I could do with a nice, warm soak. It's been so miserable with almost constant drizzle since the beginning of December.
Never mind, the New Year will change all that!!
Happy New Year to you both.
Jill
We went to Bagno Vignoni in 2006 and sat in the sulpher streams. I think that was the free area down the hill from town. I didn't know about the big baths in town. We missed it! Oh well, next time.
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