Characteristics
- For 3,000 years this spring water has gushed uninterruptedly from the centre of the earth, inside a crater at a temperature of 37,5 °C.
- The continuous flow of 500 liters per second allows the water to maintain its beneficial characteristics without the need for any external manipulation, with a complete renewal every 4 hours.. For 40 years it travels underground to resurface in the Natural Hot Spring Pool in front of the Resort.. 2.790 grams of mineral salts are dissolved in each litre of water, together with a considerable quantity of gas, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide.
- The water of Terme di Saturnia is sulphurous (14 mg per liter of hydrogen sulphide), carbon (462 cc per liter of free carbon dioxide), sulphate (contains sulfate ions in a prevalent quantity), bicarbonate-alkaline-earthy (contains bicarbonate, calcium and magnesium ions in quantity significant).
- The presence of spring plankton which is clearly visible during immersion, is the natural evidence of the power of Terme di Saturnia. An organic-mineral substance of a gelatinous consistency and a variable colour, which forms in the water when the latter comes into contact with air, it is an exclusive and precious active ingredient which has extraordinary normalizing and moisturizing properties when used to treat the skin.
Benefits
The health-giving properties of the thermal water of Terme di Saturnia are countless, with beneficial effects for the cardiovascular system, the respiratory apparatus, muscles and bones. Furthermore, this water, which has no equal in the world, exerts a strong protective action which is antioxidant and purifying; it exerts a natural peeling action on the skin with exfoliating, deterging and moisturizing properties.
It is highly curative for the skin
It reduces blood pressure
It increases lung ventilation
It works as an exfoliant and a peeling, while performing a profound antiseptic action
It has an anti-ageing effect on the liver
It reduces the pressure of the cardiovascular and respiratory apparatuses
Between Mith and History
Mythology would have it that Saturn, the god of peace and abundance, lost his patience one day on seeing the constant warfare of men. So, he took a thunderbolt and hurled it into the crater of a volcano, causing a river of hot sulphurous water to gush forth and flow through valleys, mountains and plains, to envelop all men and things so that their spirits were finally quietened. This was the start of a golden age dedicated to Saturn, a happy period, illuminated by the beauty of women and the strength of men, converted to agriculture, hunting and love. The legend was set in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma, at Saturnia,where the spring water still gushes out at a constant temperature of 37,5°C..
Legend apart, which attributes to Saturnia the status of the most ancient Italic city, what we do know for certain is that it already existed in Etruscan times, when it was known as Aurinia, later to be named Saturnia by the Romans. The centuries of Christianity and the Middle Ages were dark years for the Baths, considered in fact to be places of lust and perdition.
Then the Baths were fought over by the local Feudal landowners, the Aldobrandeschi, the Santa Fiora and those of Sovana. From then on, there was a succession of disputes and owners until 1454, when the Baths were completely renewed as part of a great land reclamation scheme and flourished once again thanks to colonies from Piacenza, Romagna and Lombardy who applied for and obtained a permit for the Saturnia Baths. The thermal baths of Saturnia were still flourishing under the Great Duchy of Cosimo II of Florence and were considered to be an extraordinary cure for skin diseases on the threshold of the 1700s
In 1865, the Baths were acquired by the Ciacci Family, who reclaimed the site, rationalized the Baths and restored the buildings to create favourable conditions for the foundation of a real spa facility. In the course of the 20th century, it was then Gaspero Ciacci’s turn to make a further step forward in valorising the thermal springs: it was he in fact who, in 1919, had the first hotel built, now a 5 star Resort, member of The Leading Hotels of the World and of Starhotels Collezione.
