Saturnia, Italy

Apart from vineyards and charming hilltop towns, Tuscany is riddled with hot springs. These hot springs are just off the side of the road right outside the small town of Saturnia in southern Tuscany. They are far enough south to be close enough to Rome for a day trip.  I recommend going into the town afterwards for a lunch of papardelle al cinghiale.

Negombo Thermal Gardens, Italy

   In the bay of Naples near the famous island of Capri is the volcanic island of Ischia.  Since the time of the Greeks people have been going there for its thermal restorative water that can be reached by drilling down pretty much anywhere on the island. There are so many thermal spas on the island, I doubt you could find such a high concentration anywhere else in the world. It is one of my favorite places to go in Italy and while you will find many European and Italian vacationers, you would be hard pressed to find an American as it is pretty well off the radar of all the big tour operators.  While there are plenty of interesting cultural sites on the island the real draw is the thermal water. Everyone who goes there is there to relax and soak in the waters.
   My favorite of the thermal hot springs spas is Negombo thermal gardens.  It is a beautifully designed landscape of pools terraced into the walls of an entire bay with its own beach. They use a lot of the classic Italian garden plants, with new additions from the southern hemisphere to modernize the mix. The plantings are done in a more naturalistic manner than classic Italian gardens too and this also makes it feel a bit updated and blend more seamlessly with the still naturalized areas of the surrounding hills.

Upper pools at Negombo

Looking out to the other side of the bay.

Water massages 

the unusual grevillea flower.

thermal pool with landscaped hillside.

Nice mix of plants and colors.

Evening Primrose

Beach at Negombo 

Villa d'Este, Italy

   Just outside Rome, in the hills overlooking the city and the sea, is the town of Tivoli. In the heat of summer, Romans have been heading for these hills to cool off from the heat of the city for centuries. Here you can find the ruins of Hadrian's Villa as well as the splendid Villa d'Este. Villa d'Este is one of Italy's most famous gardens with good reason. The setting atop a steep hill allows for incredible views and many dramatic water features. I don't think I have ever been to a garden with as many grottoes. You can tell many of the areas were designed to create a cool atmosphere and escape the summer heat, as some of the grottoes had to be at least ten degrees cooler. Unlike many gardens that are a showcase for plants, the garden is a showcase for a brilliant layout and use of water in the landscape.

View of the fish filled pools on the lower level of the gardens.

waterfalls at Villa d'Este

Grotto wall with ferns, fountains, eagle statues and a bench at Villa d'Este.

The grotto / fountain wall and bench.

fountain with a boat, behind it a statue of the wolf with Romulus and Remus, symbol of Rome 

One of many grotto alcoves emitting cool air.

detail of the mosaic around a grotto

Side garden with a pegasus statue.

One of the upper patios close to the villa surrounded by rose bushes.

An upper level fountain at Villa d'Este.

A view of the estate from down in the garden.

One of the incredibly large and old cypress trees.

A lovely cool shaded arbor of wisteria to rest under.

Close up of the benches, mosaic floor and cool scalloped wall under the arbor.

A close up of this famous sculpture at Villa d'Este of a fertility goddess.  You can see she has a tower on her head and many little lions crawling around on her.