3/12/24
When we woke up we agreed we should stay an extra night. The city had so many things to see and on top of all the wonderful buildings there was a geothermal pool up the road. How could we not experience that?
After breakfast we set off out with a long list of things to see, this place really is extraordinarily preserved. Outside our window was Fontana Grande. A fountain that dated back to the 12th century! We toured the streets viewing the cathedral and the many palazzos, the palaces of the elite.
After viewing the piazzas and checking out the churches, one that had been bombed and then rebuilt which is always disappointing, we headed to the subterranean caverns. Apparently there were kilometres and kilometres of tunnels that wound underneath the city. Only a short section could be viewed now, but they had an incredible history of use through the ages.
We were hankering for those warm waters and so we walked the 30 minutes outside the town to find them. There was no bus unfortunately. Most of the road had a footpath luckily. We tried to hitchhike but there were no takers sadly.
The geothermal waters here are legendary. They were actually referred to in Dante’s inferno. Some of them have been housed in fancy hotels where you can pay to enjoy them. But there are still publicly accessible waters available. The sulphurous Bullicame waters rise from the ground at 58C. The smell immediately hits you as you enter the area. The spring itself is guarded by a glass fence. The waters then run down the hill in unglamorous plastic pipes, diverted by what are clearly ready mix cement bags with the water just poured in.
The waters enter what can be only described as a large jacuzzi without any bubbles. A few people were already enjoying the water when we went in. There are no toilets or changing facilities obviously. We got changed behind the spring itself where there was some cover. Just next to the bathing pools is an army base, so you can enjoy the endless arrival and departure of helicopters while you bathe! It was very relaxing and surprisingly the time went rather slowly. You can choose the temperature of the water you like by moving closer to the entry point of the water. It’s scolding hot where it first comes in!
The saddest part of leaving the springs was that we had to trek back along the busy road. We were soon back, by about half 3 and set about resting. We were only two days from Roma now. That would be quite a milestone! We had tomato pizza with a combination of tofu and capers, no cheese of course, and bread, jam, cheap biscotti (that’s just the word for biscuits!) and chocolate for afters.
Surly They Won't Make It 