Thermal baths in the province of Siena + Bullicame BBQ

Departure

Time 21:30:

After doing the shopping and filling the water tank, me, Molly and Yann went to pick up the mister, the last member of the trip. The destination was supposed to be Saturnia but seeing the time we opt to stop first at Tolfa, which is on the way, it's quicker and above all it's always wonderful eheheh. We arrive at our destination, quickly change and go relax in the fantastic and scalding thermal waters. One of the 2 pools was already occupied by 4 very kind locals, in fact when they left they gave us a taste of local goodness (SANTI), and meanwhile a couple from Rome arrived hoping to find the pools empty....too bad for them eheheh, and so we chat a bit. We get out of the pools at 3 in the morning, me and Yann the first to go into the camper so we change and start setting the table so that Molly and the mister arrive later.

We eat sandwiches with coppa and sauces bought in the afternoon.........excellent.........and at the end of the meal.....off.....to bed??? noooooo to the San Filippo thermal baths, so that if we travel at night it's less stressful for traffic and above all at wake-up time we're already there. And off we go......we set off......the mister falls asleep in 5 min, Yann and Molly keep me company at the wheel for the whole little journey.....which ends at 7:15 the next morning, more than 2 hours later. Even Yann has crashed and only me and Molly are so alive and crazy as to get out of the camper and take a very brief stroll around the park. Having verified that we arrived at the right spot, we go back inside and have a good rest.

Tour of the Spas

Time 11:00

The next day the wake-up is a bit varied. I hear the mister and Molly waking up and going out, (who knows how Molly is already on her feet), but me and Yann are still exhausted and sleep for another hour. Upon waking, a quick breakfast, and we set off for the excursion. Fantastic, really beautiful, very suggestive with these enormous limestone flows on the hillside....beautiful beautiful beautiful. Too bad about the pools, very beautiful to look at, but only a couple at an acceptable temperature so we decide to finish the excursion and set off right away for other thermal baths, perhaps more accessible, and so we take off for Bagni Vignoni. Arrived shortly after, it wasn't far, we park in the camper area and immediately go looking for the pools.

As we arrive at the roundabout outside the little village we find a fountain with hot thermal water...which makes us hopeful....but then we learn that all the hot water is taken by the SPA nearby which leaves only a cold trickle of what was once a spectacle of nature. So we take a tour of the suggestive "Parco dei Mulini" and then of the small medieval village, also very beautiful with a beautiful thermal pool in place of the town square....a few photos and then off, seized by an irrepressible desire to relax, we escape toward the next stop, namely the Petriolo thermal baths.

Arrived at our destination, we park the camper, and going immediately in search of a hot water spring we are greeted by a picturesque traveling vendor/dancer who with his hypnotic dance wins over the mister, who buys a candle from him for 4 euros and gets a few "magic" oranges, according to him, who knows, the fact is that afterwards the mister slept for the whole journey.. Anyway the place is clearly that one, besides the vendor there were people in swimsuits ready for a nice hot bath, so we go see the situation but find that the pools were all occupied with someone about to leave and someone already ready to enter.

Impatient, we decide to take a walk along the road hoping to maybe find another more hidden pool, and so it is, but that one is full too, so after a brief consultation and a few photos we set off for a sure destination, Saturnia, where we arrive after 9, also making a stop, me and Yann because the other 2 were sleeping, at the supermarket to buy meat for the BBQ, when the sun had already set. Aware of the beauty of the free thermal baths of Saturnia, we come out of the camper already in bathrobes and swimsuits, LED flashlight and enchanted candle bought earlier by the mister.

After a little reconnaissance of the various pools to figure out how many people there were, we stop and sit at the first pool with our feet soaking......2 min to get used to the water temperature and to gather courage for the temperature of the little breeze blowing, and off......I take and immerse myself in the adjacent pool......I relax while smoking and then I set off like a crab and take a nice little tour of all the pools that in the meantime had freed up until I reach under the waterfall, soon joined by the others. Fantastic, it was just what we needed, total relaxation soaking in the hot waters kindly offered by nature:-) We relax for a good hour or so, gather our strength and courage to get out of that paradise and off to dry off quickly in the camper. The next stop is no longer a place but rather a very specific action....making a real BBQ.

There it wasn't bad, in fact it was a spectacle, too bad that one parking area wasn't accessible because vehicles taller than 2.20M were forbidden and another was closed, so we decide to do the BBQ at the park of the Bullicane thermal baths. By now the schedule is all out of whack, we arrive around 1:00, me and Yann the only ones awake postpone the BBQ to the next day and make ourselves a pasta with zucchini flowers and pancetta, much less demanding. Once the pasta is ready the mister comes back, Molly not present, excellent little dinner and off we go.....we go to end the night at the thermal baths, feet soaking, drumsticks, amaro and some nonsense. Molly's only sign of life is to ask us where we were going.....and then answer us with a "CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE." And so with us soaking our feet and Molly finishing her sleep, today's thermal relay comes to an end.

Finally BBQ

Time 12:30

We all wake up more or less at the same time and all with a great desire for a cookout and so immediately that's what happens, after about half an hour the fire was already lit and the little table ready with everything needed, another half hour and we're eating excellent little steaks, sausages, arrosticini and tomato bruschette, we didn't miss out on anything, not even Easter egg chocolate and coconut tart....what a bellyyyy now a nice hot bath is just what's needed and off for a couple of hours soaking before running off again. We park the camper, shut off the gas cylinder and wait for the next weekend for the next trip.....for the next dream!

See you next time from the Camperista by chance.