Mineral Hot Springs
Luxury

Terme di Saturnia

Tuscany, Italy · Terme di Saturnia Natural Destination

The source pool behind Saturnia's famous falls, with a five-star hotel attached

Terme di Saturnia
Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Before the water reaches the free Cascate del Mulino, it surfaces here, in a large steaming crater-like pool at the heart of the Terme di Saturnia resort. The spring holds about 37 C year-round and moves a huge volume, some 800 liters a second, so the pool water is constantly replaced; it smells of sulfur and carries sulfate, bicarbonate and dissolved carbon dioxide. Day visitors can buy a Thermal Park ticket, from about 30 EUR, which opens the big outdoor pool, or a Club entry from about 90 EUR with quieter pools and spa areas.

The park runs 9:30 to 19:00 from April through October and closes at 17:00 in winter; the Club adds a Friday late session. Hotel guests stay at the five-star property on site, with the thermal pool included in most packages. The downside: on weekends the public park gets busy, and paying for a pool while people soak for free downstream can feel odd, so come here for the quiet and the facilities.

What's in the water

  • SulfurThe rotten-egg smell. Sulfur springs are the classic "healing waters" of old spa towns; the smell fades on your skin within a few hours.
  • BicarbonateBicarbonate water feels smooth and slippery; in Japan it is called a "beauty bath" (bijin-no-yu).
  • SulfateSulfate springs are often clear and odorless, common in European spa towns.
  • Carbon dioxideNaturally carbonated springs fizz on your skin like soda water.

Sources

Hot springs near Terme di Saturnia

Cascate del Mulino, SaturniaOff the GridCascate del Mulino, SaturniaTuscany, ItalyFree 37 C sulfur terraces spilling past an old mill below SaturniaWild pool · 37°C / 99°F · FreeLuxuryTerme di VulciLazio, ItalyFour open-air pools stepping down from 42 to 30 C in Etruscan countryThermal spa · 42°C / 108°F · $$Bagni San Filippo (Fosso Bianco)Off the GridBagni San Filippo (Fosso Bianco)Tuscany, ItalyWhite calcite cascades on a wooded Val d'Orcia stream, free and open by dayWild pool · 48°C / 118°F · FreeBagno Bossolo, San Casciano dei BagniOff the GridBagno Bossolo, San Casciano dei BagniTuscany, ItalyA free 1871 loggia pool below a hill village with 42 hot springsPublic bath · 36°C / 97°F · FreeBagno VignoniLuxuryBagno VignoniTuscany, ItalyA Renaissance square built around a steaming pool you are not allowed to enterSpa town · 52°C / 126°F · $$Bagni di PetrioloOff the GridBagni di PetrioloTuscany, Italy43 C pools on the Farma river bank, with a cold river plunge one step awayWild pool · 43°C / 109°F · Free

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