The main square of Bagno Vignoni is not a square at all. It is a vast rectangular pool of steaming hot spring water — 49 metres long, 29 metres wide — surrounded by Renaissance stonework and open to the sky. The hamlet sits on a hill above the Val d’Orcia.
The Piazza delle Sorgenti
The basin was built in its current form in the 16th century by Bernardo Rossellino, the same architect who designed Pienza. Water emerges from a volcanic aquifer beneath Monte Amiata at a constant 49–52°C, rich in sulphur, calcium, and magnesium.
At dawn and dusk, steam rises silently from the surface and drifts across the stone. It is one of the most atmospheric sights in Italy.
A History in Water
Saint Catherine of Siena was brought here by her mother as a teenager, in an attempt to distract her from her growing religious vocation. Pope Pius II, born in nearby Pienza, was a frequent visitor. Lorenzo de’ Medici used Bagno Vignoni as a retreat for study and the waters. A Roman inscription by Lucio Trebonio Paterno dedicates the spring “to the gods and sacred nymphs of the bath.”
Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia
In 1983, Andrei Tarkovsky chose Bagno Vignoni as the primary location for his masterpiece Nostalghia. It was Fellini who told him about the village. The film’s climactic scene — a nine-minute unedited single take of a candle being carried across the drained pool — is one of the most celebrated shots in cinema history.
The Thermal Baths
You relax at the thermal pools of Hotel Posta Marcucci — outdoor pools at varying temperatures with views over the Val d’Orcia. Everything is provided: bathrobe, towel, swimming cap, slippers. You just need a swimsuit and a willingness to let go.
