Natural spas: the most beautiful and best in Italy

To know and regularly attend the natural spas in Italyfor the healing properties of their waters, were already in unsuspected times, Etruscans and Romansthe former considered them sacred, the latter meeting places in the name of well-being and sociality.

To reiterate this over the years, even theWorld Health Organization (WHO) who consecrated thermal medicine as “one of the oldest forms of therapy in the West”.

The most beautiful natural spas in Italy

An immense therapeutic heritage inserted in our country in unique natural contexts that make it not only possible, but above all pleasant, to carve out a break for spa wellness combining it with historical and cultural excursions among ancient villages, trekking and walks through woods, hills and centuries-old forests.

To date, according to the estimate of Federmethe thermal centers operating in Italy (90% are accredited to the National Health Service) exceed 320 structures, but in our country from north to south, islands included, you can also find natural spas where is it access is free and openwhere do-it-yourself is in force.

Pools, pools and caves perfect for inhalation treatments, to relieve and prevent acne, eczema, dermatitis but also chronic inflammatory, rheumatic, osteoarthritis and other degenerative diseases.

But which are the most beautiful natural spas in Italy?

Among the regions that boast the highest concentration of free and natural spas, the Tuscany, where famous Mill waterfallsa scenographic complex of calcareous pools generated by the sulphurous waters of the thermal stream of Gorello a Manciano (GR)attract thousands of visitors every year.

The water temperature is constant at 37°C and at only 23km you can visit the ancient village of Pitigliano, jewel dug into the tuff in the heart of southern Maremma.

Between the province of Siena and Grosseto are also located the free natural thermal baths of Petriolospring along the Farma river, in the Ombrone Valley, between the small towns of Monticiano (SI) and Civitella Paganico (GR): the pools, fed by hyperthermal water at 43°, are inside the Lower Merse Sienese Nature Reserve, fluvial oasis of holm oak woods and Mediterranean maquis, home to kingfishers and roe deer.

The best spas in Italy: free and natural

Without moving from the province of Siena, a stone’s throw from Via Francigenathere is another village that boasts enchanting free natural spas: it is Vignoni bathroom (YES)fraction of San Quirico d’Orcia, which houses one of the most beautiful squares in Italy complete with a thermal pool in the centre.

Swimming in the square has been banned for years but in a small plain near the Mills Park, there is a bathing pool carved out of the limestone rocks. Absolutely free for a dip in nature.

Free and natural too thermal pools of Bagni San Filippoanother small village in the province of Sienaat the foot of Mount Amiata, where in the middle of the woods a microcosm of white waterfalls and calcareous pools has been created over the centuries where you can relax in the therapeutic water that here caresses the 48°.

Natural spas to discover in Lombardy

Pointing the compass to the north, to be exact in Lombardy, you can access the Free Baths of Bormioalso known as Leonardo’s tanksbecause it was Da Vinci himself who praised its beauty and benefits.

These free natural spas boast sulphate-alkaline-earthy-mineral waters where you can immerse yourself in the 38th and 41st. Experts recommend them to treat various diseases, including rheumatic diseases, rhinitis and pharyngitis.

Also there Tuscia Viterbese boasts natural thermal pools, the most beautiful of the free ones are the Carletti poolswhere the hot, very hot water touches the 58th gushing out in various pools that seem to suddenly appear in the meadow, just 2.5 km from the center of Viterbo, 30km from Civita di Bagnoregio, one of the most beautiful and photographed villages in Italy, built on a tufa spur.

The best spas by the sea

Thermal baths near the sea? In Italy there are all right, just look for them in Campania, Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia.

On the volcanic island of Ischia natural hot springs are found practically everywhere, even in the sea. To combine the benefits of thalassotherapy with thermal ones (the water in the area is indicated for treating respiratory diseases, dermatitis and rheumatism) there is the Sorgeto baycrescent-shaped cove nestled at the foot of a rocky wall, where the temperature reaches 37° even in winter.

To get there, there is a steep panoramic stairway of two hundred steps on the south-western coast of the island, near Panza, a hamlet in the municipality of Forio. Better to avoid swimming during low tide when the temperature can even touch 90° in some places.

Between most beautiful natural spas in Italynear the sea, there is the Cave of the Nymphs in Cerchiara (CS) in the Upper Ionian in Calabria.

Reopened to the public this summer, after a long safety intervention, the cave boasts a complex of sulphurous pools that preserve healthy thermal waters and mud, together with fascinating stories and legends: between these rocks, where the thermal water at 37° creating scenographic reverberations of colors, the thalamus of was once hidden Calypsothe mythical nymph mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey.

The best spas by the sea

Also there Sicily it is dotted with natural thermal pools where you can immerse yourself in freedom. It starts from free thermal baths of Segesta to Castellammare del Golfo (TP), municipality at the foot of Mount Inici known for its beautiful thermal pool surrounded by a rocky wall in shades of pink and lush reeds.

The Sicilian islands are no less, one above all Pantelleriafamous for that Mirror of Venusan ancient extinct crater, shaped like a heart or a shell depending on the angle from which you observe it.

A natural spectacle that boasts numerous benefits thanks to the hyper-thermal water that flows from the springs at a temperature between 50° and 60°.

The seabed, covered with mud with a high concentration of sulfur and thermophilic algae, also allows for the creation of natural scrubs.

Before reaching the most beautiful natural spas in Italy it is necessary to remember that the swimming pools are located in the open in natural contexts where services for the public are mostly absent: it is necessary always carry towels, warm clothes, water and mineral salts to avoid drops in pressure.

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In the photo: the Cascate del Mulino in Tuscany

Natural spas: the most beautiful and best in Italy | Where You Travel