Are There Hot SpringsAre there hot springs in Italy?
Yes, all over the country. Italy has thermal springs from the Alps to Sicily, from free wild pools such as the Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia to historic spa towns with Terme in their names.
Tuscany and northern Lazio have the most free springs: Saturnia, Bagni San Filippo and Petriolo in Tuscany, and the open-air pools around Viterbo. The island of Ischia, off Naples, is ringed with thermal gardens, and in the Alps you can soak at Bormio or Pré-Saint-Didier below Mont Blanc.
Paid terme range from big public spas to five-star resorts. Many ask you to wear a swim cap in the pools, so pack one.
Hot springs in Italy map
Where each of the 45 hot springs in Italy is. Pin shapes show the type; open the larger map for more detail.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Best hot springs in Italy
The hot springs most visitors plan a trip around, free and paid.
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Natural
Cascate del Mulino
Saturnia, TuscanyFree travertine terraces where 37°C water pours over the rocks, open day and night. Go early or late to avoid crowds.
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Natural
Fosso Bianco (Bagni San Filippo)
Bagni San Filippo, TuscanyWild pools in a wooded gorge below white limestone formations, free and without facilities.
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Resort
Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort
Saturnia, TuscanyThe paid resort at the source of Saturnia's spring, with a day spa and big thermal pool.
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Natural
Terme Libere di Bagno Vignoni
Bagno Vignoni, TuscanyA medieval village built around a thermal pool; below it, hot water runs down free channels in the park.
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Spa
QC Terme Bagni Vecchi (Bormio)
Bormio, LombardyAncient baths cut into the cliff, with Roman-era grottoes and an outdoor pool facing the Alps.
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Spa
QC Terme Pré-Saint-Didier
Pré-Saint-Didier, Aosta ValleyOutdoor hot pools with a view of Mont Blanc, a classic after a day of skiing.
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Thermal park
Giardini Poseidon Terme
Forio, Ischia, CampaniaIschia's largest thermal garden, with about 20 pools of different temperatures and a beach.
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Natural
Sorgeto Bay
Panza, Ischia, CampaniaA rocky cove where hot springs bubble into the sea, free to visit down a long flight of steps.
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Spa
Terme dei Papi
Viterbo, LazioA thermal spa near Viterbo with a huge outdoor pool and a natural steam grotto.
Famous hot springs in Italy
All 45 hot springs we list in Italy, A to Z, from free Tuscan springs to Alpine spas and Ischia's thermal gardens.
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Spa
Antica Querciolaia, Italy
Sulphur spa in Rapolano Terme near Siena, with pools from 27 to 39°C.
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Thermal park
Bagnaccio, Italy
Low-cost outdoor thermal pools on the Via Francigena north of Viterbo.
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Spa
Bagni di Lucca, Italy
Historic spa town in the Lima valley, with natural steam grottoes once visited by poets.
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Natural
Bullicame Hot Springs, Italy
Free open-air sulphur spring outside Viterbo, mentioned by Dante, with simple pools and no facilities.
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Natural
Cascate del Mulino, Italy
Free travertine terraces below Saturnia where 37°C sulphur water pours over the rocks, open day and night.
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Thermal park
Castiglione Terme, Italy
Ischia thermal park by the sea with outdoor pools, an indoor pool and a sauna.
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Historic baths
Cavascura Thermal Baths, Italy
Old baths carved into a tuff canyon near Maronti beach on Ischia, fed by very hot springs.
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Resort
Fonteverde Tuscan Resort and Spa, Italy
Five-star resort in a Medici-era building, with pools fed by 42°C springs; day visitors welcome.
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Natural
Fosso Bianco (Bagni San Filippo), Italy
Wild pools in a wooded gorge below white limestone formations, free and without facilities.
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Thermal park
Giardini Poseidon Terme, Italy
Ischia's largest thermal garden, with about 20 pools, a steam grotto and a private beach.
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Resort
Grotta Giusti Thermal Spa Resort, Italy
Resort built over a natural thermal cave, with steam grottoes and a large outdoor pool.
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Thermal park
Negombo, Italy
Thermal park in a botanical garden on a bay, with geothermal pools and a beach.
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Natural
Piscine Carletti (Acqua Santa), Italy
Free open-air thermal pools outside Viterbo, open day and night, with no facilities.
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Natural
Pozza di Leonardo, Italy
Free wild pool in the Adda gorge below the old baths of Bormio, a short scramble down from the road.
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Spa
QC Bagni Nuovi Bormio, Italy
Grand Art Nouveau spa hotel above Bormio with outdoor hot pools facing the Alps.
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Spa
QC Spa Salsomaggiore, Italy
Art Deco spa town where a 1920s palazzo houses thermal pools, saunas and rooftop pools.
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Spa
QC Terme Bagni Vecchi (Bormio), Italy
Ancient baths cut into the cliff above Bormio, with Roman-era grottoes, a steam tunnel and an outdoor infinity pool.
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Spa
QC Terme Pré-Saint-Didier, Italy
Spa at the foot of Mont Blanc with outdoor pools of 37°C spring water and mountain views; ages 14 and up.
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Natural
Sorgeto Bay, Italy
Rocky cove where hot springs mix with the sea, reached by a long flight of steps. Free.
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Spa
Terme dei Papi, Italy
Thermal spa near Viterbo with a huge outdoor pool, a natural steam grotto and a hotel.
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Spa
Terme di Acqui Terme, Italy
Spa town where La Bollente spring gushes at about 74°C in the main square, with pools and mud baths.
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Spa
Terme di Casteldoria, Italy
Spa by the Coghinas river with a very hot salt-bromine-iodine spring.
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Spa
Terme di Castrocaro, Italy
Historic spa town in the hills above Forlì, known for salt-sulphur water and mud treatments.
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Thermal cave
Terme di Cerchiara, Italy
Sulphur spring at about 30°C flowing from a cave in Pollino National Park, with mineral mud.
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Spa
Terme di Chianciano, Italy
Big spa complex in Chianciano Terme with thermal pools and a sensory spa.
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Spa
Terme di Comano, Italy
Medical spa in a large park in the Giudicarie valleys, with mildly warm, low-mineral water.
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Roman baths
Terme di Fordongianus, Italy
Roman baths in the Tirso valley where a 54°C spring still flows; the ruins are a visitor site.
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Spa
Terme di Montecatini, Italy
UNESCO-listed spa town with grand historic bathhouses and drinking cures.
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Natural
Terme di Petriolo (Monticiano), Italy
Free sulphur springs at about 43°C on the Farma river, with roadside parking and no facilities.
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Spa
Terme di Premia, Italy
Alpine thermal centre in the Antigorio valley with indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna and a Turkish bath.
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Spa
Terme di Sardara, Italy
Spa in a eucalyptus park on a Roman-era site, with springs of 50–68°C.
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Resort
Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, Italy
Five-star resort at the source of Saturnia's 37.5°C spring, with a day spa for non-guests.
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Spa
Terme di Scrajo, Italy
Cliffside sulphur spa on the Sorrento coast with sea-view terraces.
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Spa
Terme di Sirmione, Italy
Lakeside spa on Lake Garda fed by the Boiola spring, which rises from the lake bed at about 69°C.
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Resort
Terme di Stigliano, Italy
Adults-only resort with sulphur springs in a big park north of Rome.
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Spa
Terme di Valdieri, Italy
Italy's highest thermal spa, at about 1,370 m in the Maritime Alps; closed for renovation, so check it has reopened.
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Natural
Terme Libere di Bagno Vignoni, Italy
Free park below the village where hot water runs down channels; bathing in the medieval pool isn't allowed.
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Natural
Terme Libere di Segesta, Italy
Free sulphur pools on the Fiume Caldo, a short drive from the temple of Segesta.
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Spa
Terme Luigiane, Italy
Spa on the Tyrrhenian coast with strongly sulphurous water, thermal pools and a grand hotel.
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Thermal baths
Terme Merano, Italy
South Tyrol's biggest thermal baths, in the centre of Merano, with indoor and outdoor pools and a large park.
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Spa
Terme Preistoriche, Italy
Spa in the Euganean thermal basin with pools of mineral water at 33–36°C.
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Thermal park
Terme Stufe di Nerone, Italy
Thermal park near Pozzuoli with natural steam caves, pools and mud, on a site used since Roman times.
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Natural
Thermal Springs at Vulcano Island, Italy
Warm, bubbling sea and a volcanic mud pool on Vulcano; the mud pool has often been closed since 2020.
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Natural
Valle dei Bagni di Masino, Italy
Warm spring in a granite valley; the old spa is closed, but the spring and woods are free to visit.
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Diving pool
Y-40 The Deep Joy, Italy
A 42 m deep pool for diving and freediving, filled with warm Euganean spring water.
Italy hot springs: questions and answers
Are there free hot springs in Italy?
Yes. The Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia, Bagni San Filippo and Petriolo in Tuscany, the open-air pools near Viterbo and Sorgeto Bay on Ischia are all free.
Are the Saturnia hot springs free?
The Cascate del Mulino are free and open 24 hours. The Terme di Saturnia next door is a separate, paid spa resort.
Are there hot springs near Rome?
Yes. The free and paid springs around Viterbo are about an hour and a half away, and Terme di Stigliano is north of the city.
Do you need a swim cap at Italian spas?
Often, yes. Many terme require a swim cap in the pools, and most sell them at the entrance.
What are the best hot springs in Tuscany?
Saturnia's Cascate del Mulino and Bagni San Filippo are the best-known free springs; Grotta Giusti, Fonteverde and the Terme di Saturnia resort are the classic paid spas.
Which island in Italy has hot springs?
Ischia, near Naples, is the best known, with thermal gardens and hot springs on the beach. Vulcano, in the Aeolian Islands, has warm sea pools and a mud pool.
How to visit hot springs in Italy
When to go
All year. Free springs like Saturnia are busiest on summer weekends and holidays; weekdays in spring, autumn and winter are calmer, and the water is just as warm. Some Alpine and seasonal terme close for part of the year.
What it costs
Wild springs are free, though some charge for parking. Terme sell day or half-day tickets, and resort spas charge more. Ischia's thermal gardens sell day tickets, often with a sunbed included.
Getting there
Saturnia is about 180 km from Rome by car. The Viterbo springs are an easy day trip from Rome, Ischia is a ferry ride from Naples, and Bormio is a mountain drive from Milan. A car makes the free springs much easier to reach.
Hot spring dos and don'ts in Italy
Terme have their own rules, and wild springs have a few unwritten ones.
- No glass or soap at wild springsPack out what you bring; there are no bins or showers.
- Respect bathing bansAt Bagno Vignoni, the medieval pool in the square is not for bathing.
- Watch your belongingsCar break-ins happen at busy free springs, so leave nothing in sight.
- Pack a swim capMany terme require one in the pools, along with flip-flops and a robe.
- Wear water shoesTravertine and riverbeds are rough and slippery.
- Keep your voice downSpas expect quiet, and many have adults-only areas.
Pictures of hot springs in Italy
Photos of Cascate del Mulino, Fosso Bianco (Bagni San Filippo), Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, Terme Libere di Bagno Vignoni, QC Terme Bagni Vecchi (Bormio) and QC Terme Pré-Saint-Didier, all hot springs in this guide. We only use photos whose license allows reuse and credit the photographer under each one. The full credits are on our photo credits page.
Sources and verification
Information here was checked on against the sources below.
- Visit Tuscany: Cascate del Mulino (free baths of Saturnia)
- Italia.it (Italian National Tourist Board) (official tourism site)
Other countries in Europe with hot springs
Other countries in Europe where we list hot springs.