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.
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