There are some places in our incredibly varied region that sometimes leave even us locals a bit baffled. Take, for example, a charming little village not far from Siena. It's sure nice, surrounded by lush nature and has a rich history but you would never guess what's the party trick it has up its metaphorical sleeve. You see, after realising that most people came to visit because of the curative properties of their thermal spring, they just decided to build the entire village around it. Befuddingly enough, instead of a regular square, the cornerstone upon which the place has been built is a massive pool filled with hot, sulphuric water rising from the bowels of the earth. The place is at the same time extraordinary and not very well known, which is why this week What's Up Tuscany will bring you to Bagno Vignoni, the town of water and steam, one of Tuscany's best kept secrets. If you listen to the full episode you will learn how, after being quite popular since the time of Rome, in the 14th century it became one of the favourite vacation spots of the rich and powerful. Both the greatest ruler of this land, Lorenzo the Magnificent and one of Tuscany's most beloved saints spent most of their summers here, together with future Popes and generals. I will also tell you about the other weird source of wealth that made this village special, four water mills that used thermal waters to run and therefore were active all the time, even when the rivers went dry. In the final chapter I will let you know about an interesting hike in the Val d'Orcia, the best places where to enjoy the benefits of the waters and where you can have a great meal in this charming town. It might not be as famous as other places but this valley has got so much to offer. Beware, though: people tell me that if you stay here too long you might never want to leave. You've been warned. Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY) http://www.sienaonline.it/bagno_vignoni_acque_termali.html https://www.10cose.it/bagno-vignoni/borgo-bagno-vignoni-siena https://www.siena-agriturismo.it/bagnovignoniterme.htm https://www.voloscontato.it/ristoranti/bagno-vignoni-dove-mangiare-bene-spendendo-poco.php BACKGROUND MUSIC Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental) Elitro - Midnight Zentra - Siege Audionautix - Soulstone Pipe Choir - The Opening Closing (Instrumental) Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/argofox/elitro-midnight https://soundcloud.com/argofox/zentra-siege https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyyMXafoL-A https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-the-opening-closinginstrumentalcreative-commons https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons http://www.pipechoir.com/