Today I went to the hot spring pools at Terme di Petriolo. Now, I hope that when you go there, you will have read my blog first so that you can avoid going to the Petriolo Spa Resort hotel like I did. They were not nice at the hotel, and acted like they had never heard of the hot spring pool before, even though it is just a couple of miles away.
To get to the Terme di Petriolo from Florence, you take the "Firenze - Siena" tollfree highway (SR2) south. When you get to Siena, continue on the highway for Grosseto (SS233). After about 23 kilometers you will see signs for Terme di Petriolo on the left side. Take this small country road for about 5 kilometers, following the signs, until you get to the hot spring pools. The entrance looks like this:
When you walk into the reception area you will be hit by the lovely smell of rotten eggs. If it smells that bad, it must be good for you, right? At the reception you can borrow a lock for a locker room if you need one, and rent other items like a bathrobe or slippers. The changing rooms are rather small, but well equipped with lockers, showers and hairdryers.
There are four different pools distributed indoors and outdoors on 2 different levels of the structure. The two outdoor pools, one larger and one smaller, are very hot. I don't know the temperature, but you will feel uncomfortable after about 15 minutes and have to take a break to cool off. Luckily there are plenty of lounge chairs around the pools to relax on.
Indoors there is a very hot pool, in a warm area with lounge chairs. This would be great even in the middle of winter.
There is also a small cold water pool - this was popular with the children.
The whole structure is built on a hill, facing south, with outdoor terraces and indoor spaces in windows for enjoying the sun. There is a snack bar where you can get something to eat or drink while still in your suit.
All of the pools have a strong rotten egg smell. The water is cloudy with minerals, and there is a lot of mineral buildup on the sides of the pool. The water is 43°C / 109.4°F at the source. It contains hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, calcium, flourine, chloride, sulfate and bicarbonate.
Loc. Petriolo - 53015 Monticiano - Si
tel 0577.757104 fax 0577.757092
