A simple open loggia frames the Hotel Le Terme, one of several establishments at Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany, Italy, offering thermal spa treatments using the same hot volcanic spring water from deep underground that fills the 16th century Bath of St Catherine - in which bathing is now prohibited. For centuries, the water's soothing and healing properties have attracted Etruscans, Romans, Pope Pius II, Lorenzo the Magnificent and numerous writers - as well as St Catherine herself in the mid-1300s.
Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany, Italy: although bathing is now banned in the 16th century rectangular basin or pool in Piazza delle Sorgenti, the Hotel Le Terme (right), seen framed by a simple open loggia dedicated to St Catherine of Siena, is among several establishments in the village offering thermal spa treatments such as therapeutic pools, saunas and hydro-massage. All the water comes from the same subterranean volcanic hot springs that have attracted visitors for many centuries. Archaeological finds suggest that the pre-Roman Etruscans appreciated the water's therapeutic qualities. 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, an ancient hilltop village above the Val d'Orcia, southeast of Siena, 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'. 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: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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