Hot springs loved by Etruscans, Romans, popes and Dante
Viterbo stands on one of the richest thermal areas in Italy: hot sulphurous water, rising from the depths of the ancient Vulsini and Cimini volcanoes, emerges in many places around the city. The Etruscans and Romans built baths here, and in the Middle Ages the popes resident in Viterbo came to bathe.
The most famous spring is the Bullicame, a small crater from which water gushes at almost 60°C, mentioned by Dante in the Inferno, where he compares a river of boiling blood to it. Around it there are free pools, such as the Bullicame pools and the Piscine Carletti, where you can bathe in warm water at any time of year, even at night under the stars. The Terme dei Papi spa offers a large outdoor pool fed by the Bullicame spring, a natural steam grotto and treatments.
Tip: the free pools are busy at weekends; bring flip-flops and old swimwear, as sulphur can stain fabrics.
Where it is
More things to see in Lazio
Where to stay near Viterbo
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.