• Home
  • About Carol
  • About us

Luxury Travel Magazine

An unpretentious guide to luxury travel, culture and adventure

  • About Luxury travel
  • Destinations
  • Spas
    • The Spa and Spa Travel
    • Hot Springs Spas and Thermal Baths: Why You Should Visit One
    • Spa Towns in Europe – 8 Reasons You Should Visit
  • Popular Articles
    • Things to Do in Canada
    • Top European Destinations
    • Things to Do in the South of France
    • Travel and Art: Artistic Cities, Art Fairs and Painting Holidays
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Luxury travel blog » Places » Europe » Italy » Tuscany – when disaster strikes.

Tuscany – when disaster strikes.

August 19, 2012 by Carol Perehudoff 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links.

As I was bounding around our villa in Umbria, Italy, at 8 in the morning, Mark eyes me sleepily. “You are soooo excited, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” I say. I love hot springs spas and we doing a road trip to Terme di Saturnia in the southern Tuscan hills. Terme di Saturnia has been on my list for years. The warm sulphurous waters are healing and properly sulphurous and, er, fragrant. Little did I know that in Tuscany when disaster strikes it can take a major portion of ahhhh out of the spa.

Terme di Saturnia Spa Resort in Tuscany

Road trip!

 

About Terme di Saturnia Spa

Here’s why I was so excited about visiting Terme di Saturnia Spa Resort. Located in the southern Tuscan Maremma region, it sits directly above a volcanic crater that feeds the mineral-rich thermal springs straight into the pools. Think about it, you’re floating over a crater?

It’s harder to get spring water any more pure than that, so if you’re going to go to a Tuscan spa, and you should, Terme di Saturnia should be high on your list. It certainly was on mine – until we went on a leisurely drive through Tuscany and disaster struck.

About the hot springs at this Tuscan spa

Let’s just pause for a moment of reverence regarding Saturnia’s hot springs. And I know I’m gushing (just like spring water!) but that’s how much I love hot springs and hot springs in Tuscany especially. This is what happens: rain water falls on Monte Amiata, filters down through the porous limestone and heads off on a 40-year journey through the rock before springing up at Terme di Saturnia, just for your soaking and healing pleasure.

The water is high in mineral salts – and eventually pops to the surface of the crater at a steamy temperature of 37.5°C. So much water pours forth, in fact, that the pool refills itself with fresh water every four hours. Now do you understand why I was so happy to be going there?

Tuscany when disaster strikes go to Terme di Saturnia spa

Get wet and dance in the mud!

The legend of Saturnia

It’s also considered to be a sacred place, and it’s said the hot springs at Terme di Saturnia were created when Saturn got angry at the world for its incessant fighting and shot a big thunderbolt down into a crater and the springs gushed forth. That shut up warring mankind for awhile, but obviously, with the state of the world today, Saturn may be getting ready to make another visit. You may want to be prepared.

 

Tuscany near Terme di Saturnia

Hot water here!

Tuscany: When disaster strikes

As we’re driving in the car, somewhere around Lake Bolsena, Mark looks at me. “You are sooooo happy, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” At that point I am singing. For some reason The Ants Come Marching in One by One, Hurrah, Hurrah is the song Mark is being subjected treated to, but then I don’t have a large repertoire. The point is, I’m happy. I’m very very happy. A hot summer wind is rushing in through Mark’s open window (while I’m blasting the air con vents at my face – honestly, what is his obsession with open car windows?), the Tuscan hills are rolling by … and then a bee flies in and stings me on the ass!

“Ouch, what’s picking me?” I say, not that worried because I assume it’s a tag on my dress or the edge of a map or something. I reach my hand down, pull it up …. AND I HAVE A BEE IN MY HAND! “Arggghhh!” I shriek, looking down at a very angry black and white bee.

And then the bee STINGS ME ON THE FINGER! “Yarghhhh!! Ah! Eeek! A bee bit me!” I toss the bee on the floor (good thing, because in my panic I could well have thrown it at Mark) and then I pull up into a ball and wail.

Meanwhile Mark is swerving all over the twisty mountainous road (or at least that’s what it felt like, but he says he wasn’t) saying, “What’s going on? What’s going on?”

“A BEE BIT ME!” I shrieked.

Mark seems a little unclear about what to do with a hysterical person in the passenger seat. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Yes!”

So we get out of the car and I leap out and hike my dress up to my waist right on the side of the road and see a bee bite on my bottom. The bee must have come in through Mark’s open window, swirled around the back of the car and up over to my side and got stuck somewhere between my bottom and the seatbelt. Why didn’t he bite the seatbelt instead?

 

Nice picture of Tuscany

Terme di Saturnia, Saturn’s hot springs

 

Mark finds the bee doing 360’s on the floor of the car and killed it. And that’s when I learned that one shouldn’t get too happy or complacent about the wonderful state of your world because Saturn might just shoot you a thunderbolt and hit you right where it hurts.

 

Read more: I eventually did make it to the wonderful Hotel Terme di Saturnia. Click to learn more about it.

Read more about spas at The spa and spa travel.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Italy, Spas, Travel disasters Tagged With: Hot springs, Tuscany

About Carol Perehudoff

A former freelance travel columnist for the Toronto Star, Carol has won more than 20 writing and blogging awards and honours. A spa and luxury travel expert, she's written for top travel publications around the globe.

Comments

  1. gammutoviolins says

    August 31, 2012 at 8:31 am

    All are good points. Leaving an itinerary with friends and family back home is a great way to stay safe and ease the minds of any worries back home. http://travelmemo.com/asia/best-season-travel-asia-india-thailand-singapore-hong-kong

  2. Miss Footloose | Life in the Expat Lane says

    August 25, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Good thing you were going to a muddy, healing hot springs. I hope it helped cure the stings. You must not have been seriously allergic to bee stings if you were able to write this post.

    How was the trip otherwise?

  3. dorothy perehudoff says

    August 23, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    You look great in black!

  4. catherine fowler says

    August 23, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    Ouch! And here I was thinking you just had the perfect trip.

  5. Garrick Thomes says

    August 21, 2012 at 7:54 am

    I have some good websites based on the theme of travel, car-rental and holiday.

  6. Rebecca Perehudoff says

    August 20, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    Oh dear. Poor you. Nice dress, however.

Talk to me! Leave a comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Subscribe and you won't miss an article!

About Wandering Carol

circle profileIn my 10+ years as a travel writer and columnist I've seen the best of what the world has to offer and written for some top publications around the globe - and now my goal is to bring this expertise to you. For more blah blah blah, visit my
About page.

Connect with me online

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Carol Perehudoff published in top media, logos for newspapers and magazines

Categories

How to use this adventure and luxury travel site

  • Click on the ‘DESTINATIONS TO TRAVEL TO’ tab on the menu bar to go to my destinations page.
  • The CATEGORIES drop down menu above will point you to locations and travel themes such as hotels, outdoor adventure and tours.
  • SUBSCRIBE to keep up with the latest articles and get tips to make your next journey inspiring.

Recent Posts

  • The Benefits of Travelling
  • Killarney National Park
  • Best Spas in Ireland
  • Best Beach Resorts in South Africa: Top 9 Luxury Stays for 2021
  • A Chocolate Christmas in Switzerland

Recent Comments

  • Eileen Flaherty on 15 best things to do in Nice, France
  • Michele on Best Spas in Ireland
  • Emam on Conwy Castle, North Wales: why you should visit
  • Tee on Bad Kreuznach – the German Spa Town You Probably Never Heard of
  • Carol Perehudoff on A Tropical Island Cocktail Cure at Paradisus Palma Real

Terms of Use

Terms of Use

Copyright @2020 WanderingCarol.com Luxury Travel Blog