Terme

Viterbo has been a famous watering hole for thousands of years. During that period it was a stopping point on the Francigena, a home to the Pope and more. It is certainly a fortified city, but the natural defenses are nothing compared to a place like Orvieto. There isn't a major river or port to facilitate trade. Why then, would people have gathered and settled here from the Etruscan times onward? The answer surely lies at least in part on the geothermal activity in the area. In particular, the hot springs which bubble up from underground, heated by the same natural forces which formed this largely volcanic region. There are so many of them that there is an entire website devoted to describing the location and particulars of what you might find.

There are essentially three tiers of hot bath experiences: free, inexpensive, and over-the-top. At the free end, you can find hot springs bubbling away in fields, sometimes not all that far off the beaten path. One such place is a little pool to the north of Viterbo along the Francigena. Free is the right price, but you get what you pay for. No one is responsible for upkeep and they are seldom (read never) emptied and cleaned so you are basically sitting around in the accumulated detritis of all the hot, sweaty people who came before you.

An example of the intermediate range is the  Associazione Le Masse dei San Sisto. It is located about 5 km to the south of Viterbo along the Via Cassia. There you find a fenced area with a large hot pool, a smaller cool pool, changing cabins, chemical toilets, a massage room, a seasonal snack bar, picnic tables, charcoal grills and open space for playing games. It is open 24/7 except for two evenings a week when it is closed for cleaning. The membership fee is 10 euros and the yearly fee is 20 euros making it a total of 60 euros for the two of us to join. In subsequent years that drops to 40 euros. Small children are free. Italians make a weekend of it by driving their campers up and parking in a field nearby. That way they can come and go as they like and still have all the necessities of home at hand. When you first arrive there is a noticable smell of sulphur, but that rapidly fades into the background to become unimportant. The super heated water bubbles up from a rock formation and is then channeled into the main pool. At this well-head there is an interesting feature. Two flexible hoses come out of the concrete cap which has been put in place and a bench has been provided. Italians sit there and do "theraputic things" with the sulphurous steam. Some inhale it through either the mouth or nose and others direct it into their ears. Don't ask, I don't know and don't really even want to know. If you come to visit, we will look into having guests so that you can experience it for yourself. One point to be aware of. When we were at the beach earlier this year, Amy was told it was the God given right of every Italian woman to wear a bikini. Sometimes you really wish they wouldn't take that to heart. No pictures are allowed, so you will have to make do with a picture of our membership card.

Then we get to the high end. The Terme di Papi is a destination spa of the same type as the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. It is located approximately 4 km to the west of the city and, as the name suggests, the Popes bathed there when Viterbo was their home. It is likely the Bulicame Pool mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. There is a full spa, offering anything you could want in the way of massage, etc. The pool is HUGE. As big as it is, it can turn in to a bit of a meat bowl when it is overflowing with bodies.  The cost of a single admission is 12 euros. That just gets you through the door and gains access to the pool. The costs rise rapidly from there. As a special treat it can't be beat, but we will be spending most of our hot-springs time out on the Cassia, soaking in the hot pool and directing smelly, hot air into our ears.