Tuscany | UNIQUE Road Trip Through Italy's Most Beautiful Place

this video is the grand Tuscan tour of the thermal baths there's nothing better than doing about that right here gorgeous Tuscany you may not have been there but chances are you've heard of it located in central Italy between the apennine mountains and the terranean Sea this region of Italy is known internationally for its gorgeous Countryside world-class wines Timeless art fortified Hilltop Villages and delicious hearty Cuisine not to mention its thermal spas perhaps like me you know the names of the major cities like Florence OR Siena or Pisa maybe you've already even been there those places are lovely but on this adventure I was being called to rural Tuscany to the bubbling thermal Hot Springs the off the beaten path locations to the places in between I hope you'll join us if your game hit the Subscribe button with notifications enabled give this video a thumbs up and drop a comment with your thoughts questions and tips in the comments section don't forget to share this video with the people you're planning your next Italy trip with okay Andiamo let's go [Music] welcome back to the channel right now I am in Tuscany I'm on a road trip with Carrie rad and we are standing above what might be the most beautiful hot springs I have ever seen the saturnia hot springs in southern Tuscany and oh my God I cannot wait to get in there might be the most beautiful hot springs you've ever seen oh my gosh that is like a hot springs Wonderland we turned around that corner right there and it just opened up to this View and both of our Jaws just dropped look at that it's hot spring Disneyland but only has about five people in it because at the time that we're here which is amazing the word Tuscany comes from the ancient civilization of the Etruscans who lived in this region from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BC ready ready they were known for their Advanced art architecture engineering and Metallurgy skills they also began making wine here over 3 000 years ago which makes Tuscany one of the oldest wine making regions in the world all that time has helped them become one of the world's most famous wine regions with varietals like San giovese and sanjiovese blends like Chianti coming from this region in fact our first stop on this road trip can trace its Origins back to the 4th Century BC when the Etruscans moved into the area and developed the hot springs at saturnia it's pretty easy to see why all right well we just got to the hot springs incredible Place very mellow never seen anything like this with the water just like cascading down into all of these Natural Pools nestled up against this Old Mill here it's got to be one of the nicest free natural hot springs in the world and we're super excited to get in so uh we will see you on the other side of this bag for those of you who aren't as obsessed as I am here's the deal with hot springs these hot thermal waters are rich in minerals like sulfur and have been used for thousands of years for their Curative properties and health benefits known as hydrotherapy thermal Waters can boost blood circulation improve overall happiness and mood treat skin irritations like eczema and acne ease arthritis pain and lessen discomfort from internal problems like menopausal symptoms and digestive disorders but the bottom line is they just feel great and when they're bubbling straight out of the earth it takes the word Forest bathing to a whole new level Springs at saturnia can be quite popular somehow we got lucky and had them pretty much to ourselves while not super hot the waters are definitely warm and feel great [Music] this is definitely the most beautiful hot spring I've ever been to it's not the hottest when you're in the water you feel like it's just the perfect temperature as soon as you raise up a little bit it gets a bit colder but we are here in February so it's cold here right now but it still feels so good and just looking around it's incredible it's huge and I've just never been to a hot spring this big well for our first stop in Tuscany that was incredible I think I could just live in that pool honestly but there's more Hot Springs to explore there's much more to explore so we're gonna pack up head into the car and drive north [Music] a bit of a surprise here we are surrounded by snow this is a two-wheel drive car so we're driving very carefully and trying to avoid the patches of snow driving nice and slow but it's beautiful take a look at that sunset [Music] all right foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] that's not snow that's sulfur what yeah it looks like snow I know good morning it is hot spring number two here in Tuscany we are at the bagni San Filippo first made it into the history books because a Hermit lived here in the 13th century and I have to say if I were going to be a religious hermit I would definitely be posted up right next to a hot spring can't have sex can't you know do very many other fun things but you can soak and soaking almost makes up for all the rest of the stuff so we're gonna head down this little Trail beautiful little Forest right below the Snow Line had a bit of a surprise last night driving here Google Maps routed us through this little back road and we popped out in the old town of some town around here and uh quite literally got the car pretty much stuck [Music] thank God that was that was ridiculous honestly the Springs at Barney San felipo were much hotter than the Springs at saturnia but much more relaxed if less Scenic than saturnia what they lacked in wow factor they made up with in pure relaxation the area is a gem and if you decide to visit do your part to keep it that way keep the Vibes relaxed and quiet and don't leave your trash or litter and if you find any from other people just pick it up and take it with you that way this place can remain pristine for thousands of years to come well mud treatment first and foremost is an exfoliant because of the Grain and the mud removes dead skin and at the same time it moisturizes because this mud has been sitting at the bottom of this sulfur bath for so long just like accumulating minerals just adding all that into your skin that's kind of why a lot of these a lot of these Hot Springs out here in Tuscany were made famous originally by you know like religious monks came out here especially this one bagni San felipo uh in the 13th century a Hermit religious hermit came out here and decided it was a pretty good place to uh Worship the Lord but uh after that you know a lot of these like Spa towns in Europe in like the 1800s and stuff they became very popular with people who had you know uh different ailments sicknesses uh before modern medicine uh almost everything could be cured by soaking in Mineral Waters but for me I'm still a big fan of just coming out to the Natural places because you can't get any better than this if you go to a spa especially in Los Angeles and get a mud bath it's going to be anywhere from 60th at the very lowest to 160 to 400 it just depends on where you're going but here you can do it completely free in Tuscany obviously and you can experience this I mean there's nothing better than doing a mud bath right here gorgeous [Applause] you have been very lucky to have this entire thermal spring to ourselves all morning but it's been about two hours of soaking we've had a free mud treatment and I think we're ready to pack things up and continue the road trip so let's go explore more of Tuscany [Music] thank you [Music] okay so now we are at the town of bagno vignoni there is also a thermal Resort here and the ruins of these Old Mills and a pretty incredible like sulfur wall right here that just drops off and got a view of one of the hilltop towns in the background castles all covered with like steaming hot springs it's pretty awesome but supposedly they have a main plaza here and in the plaza is a big thermal pool right in the middle of the plaza don't think you can bathe in it anymore but it's supposedly very beautiful so we're gonna go check it out [Music] [Music] not gonna lie a little bit let down supposed to have the thermal pool right in the middle of town built in the Renaissance by The medicis Who bathed here if you don't know anything about the medicis read the prince by Machiavelli learn how to be a global leader a little bit ruthless a little bit Antiquated but still a good read and yet here we are ignoli no bag no still a beautiful little town though I'm gonna putz around try to grab a cappuccino and I think it's time to Andiamo [Music] one two three [Music] [Applause] so we asked around town and the reason why the bath is drained is because over time it accumulates algae totally natural but uh they have to empty it every once in a while and scrape it clean and right as we're leaving the bath is being filled again [Applause] so where are we off to now Panda little town near some other hot springs that we want to check out we figured it'd be good to get a place for a couple of nights Alex has some laundry he needs to wash and I have clothes I need to wash as well and so we figured going into a city where we can get some dinner watch our clothes get a hot shower for some reason we've been struggling to find hot water at the last few places that we've stayed so other than the natural hot water true but we need to get some of that sulfur off of us because we're a little bit stinky right now I could imagine let's go foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] good morning it is a beautiful day here in Pienza Tuscany it's known for its pecorino cheese and it's also known for just being a really lovely little Hilltop town a beautiful morning here in Pienza Italy just watched the sunrise out over the countryside from the uh the edge of the Town walls and now we're gonna go grab a cappuccino so stick around so Pienza has a pretty interesting history it wasn't always known as Pienza it was first mentioned back in the 9th century under the name corsignano and it would keep that name until the mid 1400s when a young man eventually to become a very influential man named Pope Pius II renamed the town his hometown after himself when you're Pope why not make your hometown a vacation home and rename it after yourself I mean come on it's the 1400s right but he rebuilt the town and he did it in the Renaissance style this was the first time this had ever happened in history the entire town was rebuilt by a very influential architect from Florence [Music] thank you [Music] the architect's name was Bernardo rosalino he began reconstruction in 1459 and he finished his Masterpiece in 1462. El Duomo which was consecrated by Pope Pius II the town was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996 and the entire valde orcia was made a UNESCO cultural landscape in 2004 definitely worth visiting it's super small but it's beautiful there's only around 2 000 people who live here thank you [Music] there's something simple yet beautiful about strolling through an Old Town in Italy in fact a slow walk in the evening is a ritual here the tradition is called LA pasagiata and this evening ritual usually taking place before dinner is a gentle slow stroll through the main streets of the city or town usually in the main pedestrian shopping areas and piazzas or if you're by the Sea along the seafront the young flirt the old socialize and the after work crowd decompress from their day and as Travelers in Italy It's a Wonderful way to get a real taste of the Italian lifestyle not to mention it's great for digestion and I'm assuming like me you're eating your way through Italy what is the best part about Pienza or the restaurants yeah they're all very good and we now kind of feeling fatigued because of the biking but uh it's a beautiful Town we've been here last summer and we enjoyed it very much thank you cool all right watch out enjoy the ride ciao ciao enjoy I keep thinking about what this place is like during the summer when it's nice and hot outside and there's a bunch of people right now all of the restaurants have the chairs kind of stacked together and there's only a few restaurants here and there open right now but I can't even imagine having all of the streets filled with people drinking cappuccinos in the morning and having gelato but the cool thing about it right now is that you can walk through the streets you feel like you're the only person here it feels like a movie set you can kind of explore and get an idea of like each little Nook it's it's really really really beautiful [Music] this is definitely my favorite part of Pienza The View that you get of the countryside there's a wall that lines the town and you can just come stand here and stare at that view all day it looks like a painting [Music] that view is actually so beautiful that UNESCO made it a world heritage landscape worthy of protection and acknowledgment internationally known as the valdi orcia its Rolling Hills farms and beautiful Vistas may be familiar to you if you've seen the film Gladiator as all of maximus's dream sequences of his family and home were shot here but the road beckoned and it was time to move on we left Pienza but not before sampling some of their world famous pecorino cheese and made our way over the hills studded with olive Groves and Vineyards and freshly sewn soil waiting excitedly for Spring's warm sun rays to jump start the growing season easy to see how Tuscany is one of Italy's most successful agricultural regions [Music] soon we reached the beautiful city of Siena made famous by its yearly horse race the Palio de Siena when the main plaza is turned into a Racecourse with thousands of Spectators crammed into the middle of sprinting horses it's a sight to behold we strolled through the old town and had a delicious lunch before continuing on to Florence where we were so busy seeing the sights that I honestly forgot to film much I'd be remiss if I thought I could sum up Florence in a few sentences but Florence is one of the most popular cities in Italy and it was definitely the most powerful City in Tuscany in the Renaissance it was the premier power in the region home to the immensely influential Medici family who became patrons to some of the world's most talented artists which cemented Florence as a leader in the Arts and the legacy of that patronage is visible everywhere in this immensely beautiful city [Music] I truly wish we spent more time in Florence and I was able to take you all with me but since I wasn't I'll have to return and do a dedicated video series in Florence let me know in the comments if you'd like me to do that Tuscany is a Land of Enchantment storybook villages with surreal Vistas mouth-watering meals and world-class wines the healing thermal Waters aside this place has a magnetic attraction and I know that we'll have to come back to do Tuscany all over again this is where we're going to have to say arrivederci hopefully you enjoyed this journey through Tuscany as much as we did whether it was the hot springs or the beautiful Old Town of Pienza if you did enjoy this video please give it a big thumbs up share it with your friends subscribe and turn on notifications and if you haven't already make sure you're subscribed to Carrie's Channel as well but don't leave just yet we're not quite done we're heading to Venice tomorrow for Carnevale hey hey wait don't go anywhere I've got plenty more content for you check out my 12 essential Italy travel tips or watch the full Italy Vlog series by clicking on either of the videos linked right here

Channel: Alexander Ayling

Views: 41,400

Keywords: Travel, Tips, Travel Tips, Travel Vlog, Travel Videos, Vagabrothers, Alexander Ayling, travel video, travel tips, travel documentary, tuscany italy, tuscany vlog, tuscany spa, tuscany hot springs, tuscany hot springs vlog, tuscany food, tuscany road trip, Florence Italy, Siena Italy, florence italy vlog, florence italy travel guide, siena italy walking tour, pienza italy, pienza tuscany, saturnia italy, saturnia springs, italy travel tips, italy travel, italy travel guide

Id: _X_0ZAZOc3E

Length: 22min 58sec (1378 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 25 2023