An upturned raindrop ripple is among modern artworks exhibited on the surface of the Bath of St Catherine, a rectangular pool at Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany, Italy, filled with hot volcanic spring water bubbling up from deep underground. The soothing and healing water has attracted Etruscans, Romans, a female saint, a pope, a Tuscan prince and numerous writers and philosophers - and the pool was also the main location for Andrei Tarkovsky's 1983 film, Nostalghia.
Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany, Italy: an upturned raindrop ripple is among modern sculptural artworks to temporarily grace the surface of the hot volcanic spring water bubbling up from deep underground into the 16th century Bath of St Catherine, a rectangular bathing pool or basin in Piazza delle Sorgenti surrounded by medieval and Renaissance buildings. Archaeological finds suggest that the Etruscans appreciated the therapeutic qualities of the hot springs at Bagno Vignoni, an ancient hilltop spa village above the Val d'Orcia, southeast of Siena. The Romans also bathed here to benefit their health, with the water, rising at 52 degrees Celsius and rich in magnesium and calcium sulphate, good for relaxing muscles and soothing painful conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatism. In late medieval times, Bagno Vignoni became a popular stopping-place for Christian pilgrims treading the Via Francigena route to Rome. Among them, in the mid-1300s, was St Catherine of Siena. Other visitors who have enjoyed the healing waters include Pope Pius II (1405-64), Florentine ruler Lorenzo The Magnificent (1449-92), 16th century philosopher Michel de Montaigne and writers Charles Dickens and the Marquis de Sade. More recently, the picturesque village was chosen by acclaimed Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky as the main location for his 1983 film, 'Nostalghia'. Although bathing is now prohibited in the 49 m x 29 m basin, the village is still a popular tourist destination, with visitors able to bathe at local hotels in water from the same subterranean source. Bagno Vignoni's attractions also include remains of water mills and the complex network of canals that once powered them in the Parco dei Mulini (Park of the Mills).
Size: 2786px × 4186px
Location: Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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