Bagno Vignoni is a hamlet near San Quirico d’Orcia and it is absolutely the most evocative place in Val d’Orcia. It is famous for its “thermal water square”: an ancient bath with hot water in the middle of the village. Around it, there is a ring of pretty houses.
The water of the pool is channeled in warm streams where is possible to dip your hands and feet. The streams lead to the rocks and the water falls down in to the ancient mill and then, finally, in to the Orcia river at the bottom.
In fact, in the past, this thermal water was used in Summer to turn the mill-wheels to grind the corn.
Coordinates GPS: 43.027725, 11.616243.
What to do in Bagno Vignoni
Characteristic of Bagno Vignoni, in addition to the thermal waters, is its structure which, despite the numerous episodes of war, devastation and fire that involved the Val d’Orcia during the Middle Ages, has remained substantially unchanged over time since then. From Bagno Vignoni you can easily reach and visit the nearby centers of Pienza and Montalcino and in general the whole Val d’Orcia and the Park of Monte Amiata.
The waters that come out of the thermal bath go towards the steep escarpment of the Parco naturale dei Mulini. Here, immersed in the Mediterranean scrub, there are four medieval mills dug into the rock which were very important for the local economy as the perennial thermal spring guaranteed their operation even in summer, when the other mills in the area were stopped due to the rivers dry.
