Red worms 😂

Before modern civilization…before the Romans, and even before the Etruscans, the god Saturn had enough with the men on earth who were constantly at war with one another. He decided to fling a thunder bolt at them which created a huge crater and a stream of warm, sulphurous water. This water shot into the air and then covered everything, which quieted down the warring populations. The men who were born in that place afterwards were wiser and happier…or so the story goes.

Our only stop today and first in Tuscany was for a therapeutic and relaxing soak in the sulphurous thermal springs in Saturnia… possibly the world’s most famous FREE hot spring. The thermal waters flow from a volcano called Monte Amiata, which is also apparently a great ski resort. The water is heated underground and pops up right under the pools of the Terme di Saturnia hotel. From here the hot water continues on its way through a field or two before gushing down a natural waterfall…the Cascate del Mulino. Cascate means Waterfall in Italian and Mulino is Mill. In the past the waterfall was used to power a grain mill and you can still see the main building today.

Visually these falls really live up to their reputation. Ancient steaming powder blue water thunders down the rocks and cascades down natural travertine pools… …carved over centuries by the constant pressure of the water…and cascading into the Tuscan countryside. It’s seriously ridiculous that something so beautiful is free…but we’re not complaining.

We change in the public car park (a first for some 😂) and make our way down to the pools. After a quick stop for some delicious crostini…mistakenly ordered thinking it was panini…we don our water shoes and after a bit of manuvering over slick rocks and rushing water we relaxed in the pebble filled pools and high fived over finding a place that’s so naturally perfect and unique, and of course free. The “rotten egg” sulfury smell is not pleasant but we quickly got used to it.

The thermal waters are rich in mineral deposits, particularly sulphur, with a constant temperature of 37.5°C…just the way I like it…even in the heat that has been pretty much our constant companion since leaving Australia. But visitors don’t just flock to the Saturnia hot springs for the warm water. It is also thought to have curative properties….in fact, it has been thought to be curing locals since the time of the Roman Empire…thanks mostly to something called Thermal Plankton. These microscopic organisms are great for the respiratory system, muscles and skin.

These organisms were not the only ones to share the pools with us. There are worms! Tiny red worms! The falls are infested with them. Apparently they are harmless…so we laugh and ignore them because worms or no worms, it’s still beautiful