It was a famous destination among noble families, such as the Medici, but also among popes: the most important was Pope Pius II, who owned a summer residence in the square... The Val d’Orcia, a #UNESCO World Heritage Site, includes the historic centers and much of the territory of the municipalities of Castiglione d’Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza, Radicofani, San Quirico d’Orcia... #tuttitaly
Bagno Vignoni is located in the heart of the Val d'Orcia, near the Via Francigena, an enchanting village waiting to be discovered.
The village is characterized by the presence, in Piazza delle Sorgenti, of a sizeable sixteenth-century pool, which contains thermal water that flows from the underlying natural spring.
The thermal waters of Bagno Vignoni were already used in the Middle Ages, as can be deduced from a precious document of 1262 or from a constitution where it is said that the bathroom was divided into two sections: one for men and one for women.
Many famous people loved to frequent the waters of Bagno Vignoni for their extraordinary beneficial and curative properties. In 1490, Lorenzo de 'Medici also went there to treat arthritis. Santa Caterina da Siena frequented this place more assiduously, and it is to her that the chapel in front of the pool was dedicated, commissioned by the Amerighi family in 1660. The saint frequented the baths with her mother since her youth, particularly between 1362 and 1367.
The waters that flow into the village pool are made to flow towards the Natural Park of the Mills.
The Parco dei Mulini is an archaeological route that can be visited, commissioned by the Municipality of San Quirico d'Orcia in 1999. The route winds along the edge of the village and begins with the basins and cisterns for collecting wastewater. The water descends towards the valley floor from the pools on the top of the hill, feeding the ancient mills arranged at degrading heights.
These are four mills dug into the rock, a very complex hydraulic engineering work that allowed them to operate even in summer because they were fed by a thermal spring that gushed out with a constant flow.
The Mulino di Sopra and the Mulino Buca are underground, while the Mulino di Mezzo and the Mulino da Piedi are basements.
The thermal waters flow at about 49 ° and are classified as bicarbonate-sulfate-alkaline-earthy, hyperthermal. They are used in the spa to treat and prevent multiple pathologies of the musculoskeletal system through baths and mud and the ENT system through inhalations.
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