Tuscany · Siena
San Casciano dei Bagni
A hilltop borgo at 582 meters above 42 hot springs that produced the largest Etruscan bronze hoard of the last fifty years.
Known for
FORTY-TWO SPRINGS
Hot springs averaging 42 degrees Celsius, used from the second century BC and developed into a Roman thermal sanctuary.
THE BRONZES
24 Etruscan bronze votive statues found in 2022 with 6,000 coins, the largest Italic bronze find of the last fifty years.
BORGHI PIÙ BELLI
Joined the Borghi più belli d'Italia network in 2014, one of Italy's smallest communes to carry the label alongside Bandiera Arancione.
When to visit
Best · All year
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Cassiano di Imola, 13 August
Why come
San Casciano dei Bagni sits at 582 meters at the southern edge of the province of Siena, above 42 hot springs that average 42 degrees Celsius. The baths were used continuously from Etruscan through Roman times and again from the Renaissance, when visitors came from across Europe. In 2022, an excavation that began in 2019 at the ancient sanctuary turned up 24 bronze votive statues protected by mud, with around 6,000 coins in gold, silver and bronze.
The find was the largest of its kind in fifty years; most surviving Etruscan votive material is terracotta. The 1,500 residents live on a basalt outcrop above the Roman thermal complex, in a centro storico of stone houses and three small churches. The borgo joined the Borghi più belli network in 2014 and remains one of the smallest communes in Toscana to carry both that label and Bandiera Arancione.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written San Casciano dei Bagni’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Santuario Ritrovato
Etruscan-Roman thermal sanctuary excavated since 2019, where 24 bronze votives and around 6,000 coins were recovered in 2022.
Bagno Grande
The principal natural pool of the 42 hot springs, used from the second century BC through the Renaissance and reopened to the public.
Collegiata di San Leonardo
Romanesque parish church in the centro storico, restored in the seventeenth century, with a baptismal font carved from local travertine.
Centro storico
Stone borgo on a basalt outcrop above the springs, encircled by medieval walls and stitched with stepped alleys.
The slow-trip planner
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We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Castello di FighineRistorante
Castello di Fighine has two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100) to its name.
DanielaRistorante
Daniela holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Fonteverde Thermal Spa ResortHotel
Fonteverde Thermal Spa Resort has a Leading Hotels of the World listing to its name.
Living here
- Population 1,500
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 39 min drive
- Regional capital Firenze, 1 h 43 min drive
Thermal baths in town: Bagno Bossolo, San Casciano dei Bagni.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 582 m
- Population: 1,500
- Surface area: 92.14 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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