Bagno Vignoni, the village with a bath instead of a square

Thermal waters in a landscape of extraordinary beauty, in a region famous for good living. We are talking about the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, and the thermal waters of Bagno Vignoni. Bagno Vignoni, to be exact, is a hamlet in the municipality of San Quirico d’Orcia within which a hot thermal water spring gushes out at 49 degrees centigrade, from the water table of volcanic origin, and for this reason since ancient times it has been exploited and enjoyed widely for its recognized benefit. It is a bicarbonate-sulfate-calcic-carbonate water, suitable for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia and neuritis.

During the sixteenth century a real stone basin was built in the middle of the town (what is now a small group of houses originally formed a castle of the Amerighi family), measuring 49 meters by 29, to hold all that water in what would later be called the Piazza delle Sorgenti. Lorenzo the Magnificent, Pope Pius II and St. Catherine of Siena passed through here, to whom the loggia of the square and a chapel are dedicated. The water contributes to an atmosphere of great fascination, especially during winter, when at night the steaming pool can be seen with the water so hot that it evaporates on contact with the cold air.

The power of the spring was also used to drive mills that were even dug into the rock. And not far from the center, at the Parco dei Mulini, enjoyment of the spa is free. Here the thermal water has carved out some pools in the rock where one can bathe, and although the waters gush out hot at 50° centigrade, the perceived temperature is noticeably lower due to the fact that they flow through natural channels for long stretches under the open sky, cooling down. As a result, Bagno Vignoni is preferred by spa lovers especially in summer, and they are indicated for the treatment of rheumatic and respiratory ailments.

on Art.

on Art.

Famous since time immemorial for its peculiarities also thanks to great communication routes (the Via Francigena) that passing through these parts carried its history away from them. A millenary history if you think that already the Romans knew it for purifying the body and relaxing the muscles. The warmth of the water in fact promotes a decontracting action on the muscles. It also promotes blood circulation, respiratory function and diuresis.

It was then from 1170 that balneo-fango-therapeutic treatments were used in a more structured way, in the treatment of arthro-rheumatic and neuralgic diseases, inhalations and irrigations for otolaryngological and gynecological inflammations.

It is good to point out that in the pool of the Square it is forbidden to bathe, to enjoy its benefits it is necessary to go to the designated spa facilities. How come the water reaches 50 degrees? The question that is often asked by tourists is explained by a simple atmospheric effect: the rain that reaching up to a thousand meters deep heats up and melts sulfur and mineral compounds and then begins to rise to the surface at a temperature precisely about 50 degrees or so. Bagno Vignoni is also a barycentric point for visiting the rest of the Val d’Orcia starting with Pienza, another Unesco site, and Montalcino, famous for its wines.

Bagno Vignoni, the village with a bath instead of a square

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