(map) Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany
It may call itself an Italian square yet it has no market, no central fountain, nor a church. You can’t even walk through it! Preposterous!
Piazza impostor? Pseudo square sham?
You might be ready to dismiss it outright. Don’t. Piazza delle Sorgenti (Square of the natural springs) might not have any of the above, but what it lacks in piazza-ness, it makes up for in beauty and a different type of functionality.
An Etruscan destination, a Roman resort, a Middle Ages rest-stop along on the Via Francigena (the road pilgrims took back and forth from Canterbury to Rome), a Renaissance spa (St.Catherine of Siena and Lorenzo “il Magnifico” de’ Medici were regulars), the 150 by 75 foot pool fed by the local 130° F springs has been in use for some time now. Surrounded on one side by the loggia and on the others by beautiful 15th century Tuscan villas, it makes for one lovely stop…ok, piazza.
Even if you can’t walk through it.
-- Contributed by GB (see bio), Editor, Italian Notebook.
September 14th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I visited Bagno Vignoni in 2004 with my cousin. We arrived in the late afternoon and noticed some older Italians soaking their feet in the spa stream so we joined them. The water was warm and refreshing – I expected the water to be cold! Our feet deserved this small spa treatment, as we had been touring around all day long and did lots of walking. The views were lovely from there.
September 14th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Note coming soon on the section where you soaked your feet and the Roman bath ruins…!
September 14th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Great article which brought back fun memories of my visit here in Oct. 2007. I was on a “Smith-sister’s” slowtrav vacation and we thoroughly enjoyed our stop at Bagno Vignoni! We were based in Chianciano Terme and loved driving to many lovely little hilltowns.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I visited here whilst staying in nearby Montepulciano. Fantastic area where every hiltop has a medieval village and around every corner a surprise like this one. And of course, the tuscan trattorias…
September 14th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
But, their is a church on this Piazza! Take a look at the second picture and you can see the bell tower. My own blog posting for Bagno Vignoni has an ever better picture of the church. (http://larry-amoroma.blogspot.com/2009/08/baths-for-saints-and-sinners.html)
PS I look forward to you postings every day! Thanks for the great job!
September 14th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Hmm..wow, there sure is! How did that get in there!? They must have just built it. ;-)
September 14th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Btw, Larry, very nice blog! Love the Francigena post/journey! Ever think of contributing a note or two to IN? Un saluto, GB
September 14th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Great article,with some many piazzas and so muc history that has built up over the centuries around them, it is a real archive!
Thanks
Rosario
September 14th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
What an interesting place… I’d love to see it with people in it…
September 25th, 2009 at 11:41 am
[...] Granted you aren’t allowed to bath in it, but a quick stroll atop the natural terrace in Bagno Vignoni, just before entering the town, is still quite the experience. Channels with the thermal water [...]