San Casciano dei Bagni

For more than a thousand years San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany has been recognised for its thermal pools and their value to man. The Etruscans and the Romans had settlements here and made use of the hot springs. 
The water comes out of the ground at 42 degrees c. and the thermal properties include sulphur, calcium, fluoride and magnesium. The water in the baths created from the springs offers anti- inflammatory and analgesic properties. It also has a gentle peeling effect on the skin and encourages healthy regeneration and hydration.

The scenery along the way was very pretty and we had plenty of time to look at it during the last kilometres as we followed a tractor along the winding road.

Like all the towns in Italy with hot springs and bagni (baths) there are modern day equivalents in spa resorts. San Casciano dei Bagni has a resort but it also has these lovely old baths which are free.

We went in the morning and only had one other couple there when we were. Others found other pools to soak in. At this spot there are three ajoining baths of varying depths. They are rustic, that is, a rough gravel bottom in one pool and there is some slime. Ah, but it was lovely!