Terme Bagni di Lucca - November 16, 2011

Terme Bagni di Lucca

Well, this just goes to show that hot spring pools vary incredibly from one to another.

I got my sister to come along with me to Bagni di Lucca on a Wednesday morning in mid November. I told her along the way that I thought it was a smaller pool than the others, and she said that was ok, she was game for a drive in the countryside and a soak in hot water.  I realized that she was right when we turned off the A11  tollway at Capannori (near Lucca) and drove into the hills along the Serchio River on the state highway SS12. It is a  beautiful, steep valley with scenery like this:

Il Ponte della Maddelena, also known as the Ponte del Diavolo - the Devil's Bridge

And this:

The town of Bagni di Lucca

SS12 passes directly through the town of Bagni di Lucca on its way from Lucca to Modena. It takes about an hour and a half to drive there from Florence.  You arrive in the town, low down in the valley, dark and a little oppressive, then cross a bridge, and enter a piazza where you must take a left turn which heads up the hill. The road is windy and narrow, and climbs out of the gloom and up the hillside. After about a mile you arrive in the upper part of the town where you can park either in the piazza, or in the parking lot of the hotel where the pool is located.

The piazza of the upper part of Bagni di Lucca, where the pool is located.

The pool is located inside the hotel Antico Albergo Terme, and you pay your ticket at the front desk. The dressing room is very small, with lockers and a shower. If you want to bring anything onto the pool deck, you'll have to walk back through the reception area of the hotel, so this is a good reason to have your bathrobe and flip flops with you. Otherwise you can leave everything in the dressing room, and enter the pool directly.

The pool itself is indoors and quite small. My sister and I had it all to ourselves for the hour we were there, which was nice. The water is 89.6° Fahrenheit; warm, not hot. There is one spot where the water enters the pool, and it is warmer there. The water is clear with no distinctive mineral odor. There is only a bit of mineral build up on the sides of the pool. There are sprays and jets for massage. There are windows on 2 sides, and decks with chairs on them outside.

The pool



All in all it was quite pleasant, but not as spectacular as the larger complexes. It didn't give me that "I'm coming back!" feeling, but who knows, I may just return someday, if I'm in the area and need a soak.

The streams of Bagni di Lucca are sulfuric-bicarbonate-calcium rich waters.  The "Doccione" spring exits the ground at 129° Fahrenheit.

Bagni di Lucca

Terme Bagni di Lucca
Piazza San Martino, 11  

55021 Bagni di Lucca - LU
Tel: +39 0583 87221

www.termebagnidilucca.it

San Giovanni Terme Rapolano (Siena) - October 30, 2011

San Giovanni Terme Rapolano
This is where it all started... that is, my idea to visit all the hot springs in Tuscany and write a blog about them. My boyfriend and I went there on the spur of the moment on the Sunday of the All Saints holiday weekend. It was very crowded, but it was wonderful, and I kept saying to him, "I'm coming back!"

I had been to some other hot springs before: Bagno Vignoni, Calidario, and Saturnia, but I had never even heard of Rapolano Terme! Poor me... well, now I know, and I will certainly go back, but first I have to visit all the other hot springs in Tuscany!

The town of Rapolano Terme is on the state highway SS73, between Siena and Arezzo, and easily reached from both towns. It is about an hour and a half drive from Florence.

There are two thermal pools in the town, and so far I have only visited San Giovanni, but I will go to the Terme Antica Querciolaia sometime too.  

San Giovanni is a very big complex. There are plenty of road indications and it is easy to find. There is a large dirt parking lot.  At the entrance  where you pay your ticket you can rent locks, towels and bathrobes. There are very large dressing rooms with lockers, restrooms and showers. On the same level there is a snack bar.

There are 3 different pools: 

•  an indoor pool, which is the hottest. You can enter directly into this one without going outside, which would probably be nice on cold days! The source of the water is a waterfall which people stand under to massage shoulders. There is a tunnel to pass directly from this pool to the next one;
• the first outdoor pool is quite large and is warmest near where the water comes out from the indoor pool. There is a white mineral sediment on the bottom which is pleasant to spread on the skin, however, it's quite a challenge to get to the bottom of the pool, given that the mineral-rich water makes you more bouyant than usual;
• there are then waterfalls that go through 2 small pools. The water in the pools is progressively cooler. Again, people like to sit under the waterfalls to massage their shoulders;
• the last pool is the largest and the coolest. Some people even swim in this pool. I think it would be very nice on a hot day, but a bit cold when the weather outside is cool. The water finally falls over a large waterfall into its streambed.

The swim decks and lawns are covered with deck chairs for sunbathing. There are also indoor rooms with lounge chairs for resting quietly after bathing in the waters.

There is a hotel connected to the complex which has its own hot spring pool.
The water is a milky white, it is so full of minerals. There is a chalky buildup on the walls of the pools. Swimcaps are not required, given the strong flow and therefore continuous exchange of water.

The waters flow from the spring at a temperature of 102° Fahrenheit.  They are mainly composed of sulphur, and calcium bicarbonate. They definitely have that rotten egg smell!

San Giovanni Terme Rapolano

Via Terme San Giovanni, 52
53040 - Rapolano Terme (SI)
Tel. +39 - 0577.72 40 30
www.termesangiovanni.it

What Exactly is a Hot Spring?

So, what is a hot spring?

I took a look on this Wikipedia page and found out that there is "no universally accepted definition of a hot spring."

OK! That's fine. We don't need to be universal.... we'll just use the term to describe what it is we're looking for here. So, back to Wikipedia:

"A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth."

Ahhh that's good and scientific. We can work with that.

Now, what I'm looking for is hot water that you bathe in. There are a lot of spas where you go to drink the waters, but I'm not into that. I am into floating in warm water with a good flow, super full of minerals, and if it's kind of smelly that's good too.

Back to Wiki:
 
"Therapeutic uses:
Because heated water can hold more dissolved solids, warm and especially hot springs also often have a very high mineral content, containing everything from simple calcium to lithium, and even radium. Because of both the folklore and the claimed medical value some of these springs have, they are often popular tourist destinations, and locations for rehabilitation clinics for those with disabilities."
 
Ah, that's perfect. We're ready to go!

Helpful Info

Preparing your swim bag - things you'll need, or will be happy to have with you:

• Flip flops, or some kind of  slipper to wear on the pool deck and shower. In Italy you do not go barefoot in these areas, and outdoor shoes are not allowed.
• Your swimsuit. Pretty much anything goes, but my boyfriend and I had a good laugh at a woman wearing a thong, so you might want to avoid that. When she had to climb a ladder to get out of the pool we wondered why she'd bothered to even put it on. Women wear competitive style suits and bikinis, and tankinis are starting to catch on in Europe, too. Men in Italy mostly wear Speedo style suits, but trunks are fine too.
• A towel and/or a bathrobe. If you get to the pool and don't have either of those, the pool will usually have them for rent for about 5 euros each.
• A swimcap. Not all pools require them, but most do. Besides helping keep the water and pool clean, the cap with help you avoid mineral buildup in your hair (I learned that one the hard way!)
•  A lock. Most pools have lockers that you can put your clothes and valuables in while you're in the water. I like the idea of a combination lock, so you don't have to worry about losing the key while you're enjoying the waters. If you don't have a lock, the pool can probably rent or sell you one.

You're probably going to need a car in order to get to the hot springs, as most of them are in pretty secluded locations. Bike or motorcycle enthusiasts can try those. Unfortunately, I don't think there is any public transportation that will get you to the pools, although I will check that out and provide details for the various locations as I visit them.

List of Hot Springs in Tuscany

Terme Bagni di Lucca
Piazza San Martino, 11 
55021 Bagni di Lucca  (LU)
Tel: +39 0583 87221 +39 0583 87221 

Bagni di Casciana
Piazza Garibaldi, 9
56034 Casciana Terme (PI)
Tel. +39 0587 64461 +39 0587 64461
Fax +39 0587 644629

Nuove Terme San Filippo 
Fraz. Bagni San Filippo, 23 
 Castiglione d'Orcia (SI)
+39 0577 872982   

Terme Antica Querciolaia 
Via Trieste, 22
53040 Rapolano Terme (SI)
tel.   0577 724091    

San Giovanni Terme Rapolano
Via Terme San Giovanni, 52
53040  Rapolano Terme (SI)
Tel. +39 - 0577.72 40 30

Grotta Giusti Natural Spa Resort
Via Grottagiusti, 1411 
51015 - Monsummano Terme
Tel. +39 0572 90771 +39 0572 90771

Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort
Localita' terme 1 
53040 San Casciano dei Bagni (SI)
Tel. +39 0578 57241

Terme di Petriolo
Loc. Petriolo
53015 Monticiano  (SI)
tel 0577.757104

Calidario Terme Etrusche
Via del Bottaccio, 40
57021 Venturina (LI)
Tel. + 39 0565 851504

Hotel Posta Marcucci
Piscina Val di Sole
BAGNO VIGNONI (SI)
 Tel. (0577) 88.71.12

Terme di Sorano
Località S.Maria dell'Aquila 
58010 - Sorano (GR)
Tel. (+39) 0564 633306    

Terme di Equi
Piazza delle Terme n.1
54013 Equi Terme (MS)
Tel. 0585/949300

Terme di Porretta
Hotel delle Acque & Natural SPA 
Via Roma 5 
40046 Porretta Terme (BO)
Tel. 0534/22062 

Piscina Termale Redi
Viale Bicchierai, 62 / Viale Marconi 2
Montecatini Terme PT
tel. +39 0572 778547

Terme di Saturnia
58014 Saturnia (Grosseto)
Tel 0564 600 111

Piscine Termali Theia
Piazza Marconi, 8
53042 Chianciano Terme
tel 848 800 243

The Premiss

I love floating around in water, and if you're reading this blog, I bet you do too. I especially love the warm water of hot springs, or thermal pools as they are also called, which, given the continuous flow of clean water, can be enjoyed without the addition of chlorine.

Don't get me wrong - I love clorine too. Chlorine saves lives. I have been known to say that it is much more likely that you will be killed by a one-cell animal than anything that has teeth. Why would I say that? Well, for 5 years in a row I organized swims across the Strait of Messina, the body of water which separates mainland Italy from the island of Sicily. Of the 150 swimmers I conducted through that swim, a lot of them asked me about sharks. I answered that I am much more afraid of bacteria than I am of sharks. So, I love chlorine. I love the smell of chlorine in the morning. I can find a swimming pool from blocks away by following my nose and the scents of chlorine.

But there's something special about pools that don't have to be treated with chemicals to make them safe for crowds of swimmers. Many of the seas and oceans of our planet still have areas that are clean enough to swim in, and the salt water of them replenishes body and soul. I do competitive "open water" swimming races just to get as much of that water into my spiritual system as I can! I grew up in Northern California, and I used to throw myself into the Pacific Ocean at every opportunity - I couldn't get enough of it. Luckily I now live on the Mediterranean where the temperatures are more inviting.

As for thermal pools, or hot springs, there is something magical about them, isn't there? Something mystical, enhanced by the steam that rises from them on cold days, the entrances often architected through underground tunnels in damp quarters that bring you out into the glorious sun, or the smells of sulfur or other minerals that are so unpleasant you think they must be good for you.
The other day I went to the thermal pool at Rapolano Terme in southern Tuscany for the first time... I have been to many thermal pools in Tuscany (and other places too), but I honestly had never heard of Rapolano Terme before. What an amazing surpise! It was a holiday weekend, and the 4 pools encrusted with mineral buildup through which the water cascades creating progressively cooler pools were crowed with lazy bathers. And yet, it was comfortable and soothing. It was just what I needed.

I had been thinking for some time that I would like to write a blog, to share with my friends abroad some aspect of my life in Italy, but I didn't know what to write about. Now I have found it!

 One by one I will visit the thermal baths of Tuscany, and write about them. I'm looking forward to doing the research for this project!

I hope you will enjoy the journey.