PETRIOLO BATHS
Terme di Petriolo
Cold, warm or hot water, ancient and always good for health. So good to be called “Holy Water” or “Blessed Water”, as in the case of Chianciano Terme.
Thermal wellness has very ancient origins in the territory of Siena, it dates back to the Etruscan and Roman times: Fontes Clusinae were suggested to Emperor Augustus by his personal doctor and they were probably attended by poet Horace too. The latest archaeological findings prove that this region was full of baths and pools whose fame passed through the centuries to the present day.
Only rich people could attend baths during the Middle Ages , they were a status symbol.
The first news about Terme di Petriolo dates back to 1130, in 1202 they were subdued to Siena together with others castles belonging to the Arghendeschi family. Former documents about the “baths” date from 1230 and their management seemed well organised in a rental system run by Siena.
New springs were found in the second part of the XIII century, the baths were extended and increased and taxes from Petriolo represented a large part of the income of Siena at the time.
It was a key place in the territory ruled by Siena: it was a curacy in the XIV century and its surrounding walls were built in the XV century. Literary works such as “Sonetti dei Mesi” by Folgore da San Gimignano show the great fame of Terme di Petriolo during the Middle Ages, when it was the destination of some celebrities, included Pope Pius II, who visited Petriolo three times between 1460 and 1464.
Its fame decreased in the XVI century, when Bagno Vignoni and Terme di San Filippo became more important.
Some parts of the ancient surrounding walls and some towers belonging to the fortified complex are still visible nowadays. One of the most interesting things is the medieval thermal complex: it has four places with cross vaults, one of them still unbroken, that open outdoors through four big round arches supported by octagonal columns adorned with capitals.
In the new complex, next to the ancient one, pools contain sulphurous water (38°-46°), which is a good remedy against metabolic disorders, arthritis and gout.