Val d'Orcia and Roman baths

 A UNESCO world heritage site, the Val d'Orcia is a wide and verdant valley of splendor.  This video doesn't give you a sense of its depth, the various shades of green, the important role it has played through history and even art history... but this is what I have:

From here, we drove to Bagno Vignoni.  This is a 'thermal settlement' known since the Etruscan age.  The Romans found it quite lovely and so they claimed it during their time here.  There is even a plaque put in place that consecrates the place and its waters to the nymphs.  And we all love nymphs.  They are always frolicking and looking gorgeous.  Later, when the Via Francigena was established (the pilgrimage route that goes from England to Rome, established in the 8th century, see previous blogs especially of my time in Viterbo), the baths were used to soothe the footsies of tired pilgrims.  Here is the official plaque of this pilgrimage route:

Very popular with German tourists who really dig the concept of volksmarchen, it can also be done via bike.  

Throughout the middle ages the site was developed and eventually became a town.  The center of town showcases this lovely soaking area, built at the site where the hot springs comes out of the ground.  You can see it burbling:

Too hot and too stinky, so the Romans carved a series of canals and waterfalls to cool the water:

This is only part of the network of flowing water.  But let's just take a rest from it all and soak our footsies before lunch:

Feeling refreshed, it's time for a lunch of gnocchetti with saffron cream and crispy prosciutto, darlings:

Una bella giornata!