Thermal · Italy

Tuscany

The Etruscans bathed in these springs. Southern Tuscany still has free hot waterfalls, Renaissance thermal towns, roads built for walking and a kitchen of beans, bread and oil that outlived every trend.

Longevity Index 84 · Val d’Orcia and the thermal towns

The Val d’Orcia is the landscape everyone imagines when they say Tuscany: cypress lines, wheat, the hill towns of Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino. Fewer people know that the valley sits on hot water. Bagno Vignoni has a Renaissance pool in its main square and a free hot stream in the woods below; Bagni San Filippo has white limestone cascades in the forest; Saturnia, further south, has the Cascate del Mulino, hot waterfalls at 37 degrees that are open all night and cost nothing.

The food is the reason Tuscans call themselves bean eaters: cannellini and borlotti, ribollita, pici with garlic and breadcrumbs, pecorino from Pienza, bread without salt, vegetables grilled or raw, olive oil pressed in November, and a glass of Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino with dinner. Meat is a Sunday thing outside the famous steak.

Come in spring or autumn, base yourself in one hill town, walk the Via Francigena in stages, bathe in a different spring every day and eat lunch late. Tuscany is a lesson in pace.

The longevity profile

Best months: Apr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
Ideal stay: 7 days
Budget: €€€€
Night from: €160

Signature ritual: A hot spring at dawn and olive oil on everything.

A day in Tuscany

From first light to last light.

07:00
The ridge
A walk from Pienza along the ridge road with the whole valley in the mist below.
08:00
Breakfast
Bread, ricotta, honey, fruit, coffee. Tuscan breakfast is small on purpose.
10:00
Bagno Vignoni
The free hot stream in the Parco dei Mulini, then the town square with its Renaissance pool.
13:00
Lunch
Pici with beans and garlic, pecorino with honey, grilled vegetables, bread and oil, a glass of Rosso.
15:00
Rest
The hill towns close for the afternoon. Follow their example.
17:00
Via Francigena
A stage of the pilgrim road towards San Quirico, two hours through cypress and wheat.
22:00
Saturnia
The hot waterfalls under the stars, empty after ten, the water at body temperature.

Nourishment Movement Mind & Stress

Good to know

Tips for Tuscany.

The Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia are free and open around the clock; go at dawn or after ten at night to have them almost to yourself.
Bagni San Filippo is a small forest spa with white travertine cascades; wear old sandals, the rocks are slippery.
The Via Francigena passes through the Val d’Orcia in well-marked stages; a car or the local bus brings you back.
November is olive harvest: cold, quiet and the best month to taste new oil at a frantoio.
Avoid August: heat, crowds and closed restaurants.

Design a trip to Tuscany What does a week cost?

Frequently asked questions

Are the Tuscan hot springs free?

Several are: the Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia, the stream at Bagno Vignoni, the cascades at Bagni San Filippo. Spa hotels charge for their pools and treatments.

What is the Tuscan diet?

Beans, bread, olive oil, vegetables, sheep cheese, pasta and moderate wine with meals: the Mediterranean diet with a farmer’s accent. Meat plays a smaller role than the famous steak suggests.

Can I walk between the hill towns?

Yes. The Via Francigena and a network of white roads connect Pienza, San Quirico, Bagno Vignoni and Montalcino in stages of two to five hours.

Journeys here