Hotel
Spas
Wellness
Chianciano
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CHIANCIANO
TERME
Chianciano Terme lies to the south-east of Siena, in an area
where Tuscany is at its most charming: on a hillcrest separating
the wild Valdorcia valley – a Unesco World Heritage site for
its outstanding beauty – and the fertile plains of Valdichiana.
As the word 'Terme' in the name implies, Chianciano is one
of the most important spa resorts in Europe. Chronicles refer
to the Sillene waters as early as 1005, but the thermal springs
of Chianciano were certainly known to both the Etruscans and
the Romans already.
Many leading Italian personalities such as Nobel Prize winner
Luigi Pirandello and Academy Award winner Federico Fellini featured
among the regular guests of the town, and the latter loved the
place so much, that he both wrote and set his Oscar-winning
movie "8 1/2" here.
The development of the spa quarter started between 1915 and
1929, and again in the 1950s with the new town planning surge.
With its hotels, spa facilities and private villas, this elegant
area is the tourist heart of the Chianciano, interspersed
with large and well trimmed parks such as Parco delle Fonti
and Parco di Fucoli.
The Museo Civico Archeologico delle Acque houses remarkable
Etruscan sarcophagi from the neighbouring necropolis and the
remains of fine clay decorations from a little temple dating
from the 2nd C. b.C. which was unearthed near the thermal
springs at Fucoli, with Nereids riding sea monsters, heads
of gods and winged genii.
In the town centre, the 18th C Palazzo dell'Arcipretura houses
the Museo della Collegiata, with 14th and 15th C. paintings
of the Florentine and Sienese schools.
Well worth visiting is also the 13th C. collegiate church of St. John the Baptist, and the 13th C. Palazzo del Podestà, with coats of arms dating from the 15th and 16th Centuries.
Still fairly well preserved are the three original town gates – called Porta San Giovanni, Porta del Sole and Porta Rivellini – in the 13th C town walls.
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