Hot Springs Near Rome {Terme di Papi}

What's a Beach Lover to do in the Winter?

It is no secret that I am a beach girl, so it has taken me a while to warm up the idea of activities that don't involve the sea and sand. In recent weeks, we have been exploring up into the hills and away from the sea. 

Now the Romans have known this for centuries and the Etruscans before them, a perfect way to spend a sunny but cold Sunday is soaking in one of the many nearby hot springs.  

About an hour away from Rome is the Terme dei Papi, just before Viterbo,  A former public pool that is now filled with the steamy, sulfurous water of the Bullicame spring.

It is open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and costs €18 per adult and €5 for children under 10.

There is a bar and a restaurant

My tips to make the most of your visit.

• Get there about 9:30 am...the parking lots and changing rooms are empty and the pool is calm.
• Bring flip-flops and a robe...it's cold when you get out of the water!  
• You can rent deck chairs €5 and "noodles"   €2  to help you get the perfect relaxing pose in the water
• buy a bar of thermal mud soap €4.50 to bring home

All that lounging makes for quite an appetite.  Take the long, slow way back to Rome and stop in Vetralla for lunch at Da Bennedetta  Via Cassia km 68 tel 07161 47 70 32.  There is a roaring fire in the fireplace and plates of hearty food here.  We had antipasti of cinghiale salami and sausage and local cheeses, followed by grilled lamb and beef  scottona (a special kind of beef that comes from a young female cow.) The pasta al ragu got an enthusiastic thumbs up from my reluctant pasta eating son. The house wine is light and young.  

One last piece of advice, given to me by a friend who spends many weekends out this way...to beat the traffic heading back into Rome, leave before 5pm or after 9pm.