Viterbo's Hot Springs: A Local's Guide to the Free Thermal Pools
These are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Disclosure.
Viterbo sits on top of a hydrothermal basin. Just outside the city walls, sulphurous water comes out of the ground at around 58 °C, and for more than two thousand years people have dug pools to soak in it. The Romans built baths here; medieval popes, who spent much of the 13th century in Viterbo, came to bathe; Dante mentions the steaming Bulicame in the Divine Comedy.
What makes Viterbo special for travellers today is that some of these pools are completely free and open-air. No ticket desk, no robe, no spa music — just hot water, a field and a view of the Cimini hills. This guide explains the difference between the main sites, what to bring and how to get there without a car.
Check before you go. The free pools are managed (or not managed) in very different ways, and access rules have changed over the years — closures for maintenance, public-health ordinances, changes of operator. Conditions below were correct at the time of writing; verify locally before a special trip.
The four names you’ll hear
| Site | Cost | Facilities | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullicame | Free | Almost none | Seeing the historic spring Dante wrote about |
| Piscine Carletti | Free | None (no toilets, no changing rooms, no lighting) | A long, informal soak, even at night |
| Bagnaccio | Small fee (association membership) | Changing booths, basic toilets, picnic area | A free-spring atmosphere with some comfort |
| Terme dei Papi | Paid spa | Full spa, restaurant, hotel | A big, managed thermal pool and treatments |
Bullicame
The Bullicame is the historic spring, a few kilometres west of the centre along Strada Bulicame. The source bubbles inside a protected basin — far too hot to touch — and feeds pools where the water cools enough to bathe. The landscape is pale and almost lunar, crusted with mineral deposits. A stele recalls Dante’s lines in Inferno XIV comparing a boiling river of hell to “the stream that issues from the Bulicame”.
It’s a short, atmospheric visit rather than a resort. There are no changing rooms or toilets. The same spring water supplies the Terme dei Papi spa nearby.
Piscine Carletti
The Piscine Carletti — locals call them le pozze — are along Strada Terme / Strada Tuscanese, roughly 2.5 km from the centre. Hot water runs from the spring through a channel into a large pool and a few smaller ones; the pools closest to the source are the hottest and some are too hot to enter. Further away the water is pleasantly warm, often in the high 30s °C.
There is no gate, no staff and no opening hours: people come at dawn, at lunch and under the stars. There is also no shade, no lighting after dark, no toilets and no changing rooms. The car park is large and unattended. At weekends and on summer evenings it can be busy; weekdays and winter mornings are calmer — and a winter soak, with steam rising into cold air, is the classic Viterbo experience.
Il Bagnaccio
Il Bagnaccio lies north of Viterbo in open countryside near the Via Francigena, the medieval pilgrim road to Rome. It has several pools of different temperatures fed by two springs, and it is run by a non-profit association: you pay a modest fee (daily or annual membership) and get wooden changing booths, basic toilets and a picnic area. It has had periods of closure in the past, so this is the one to check most carefully before you go.
Terme dei Papi
If you want a towel, a locker and a lifeguard, Terme dei Papi is the established spa, with a very large outdoor thermal pool, a natural steam cave and treatments. Entry is paid and prices vary between weekdays and holidays; see the spa’s official website for current rates and hours. It’s a good choice in bad weather, with children, or if you simply prefer a managed environment.
How to soak safely
Thermal water is wonderful, but treat it with respect:
- Test the temperature with a hand before stepping in, and stay away from the source channels.
- Keep sessions short — 15–20 minutes, then rest and drink water. Hot water lowers blood pressure; stand up slowly.
- Ask your doctor first if you’re pregnant, have heart or circulation problems, or high blood pressure.
- Remove silver jewellery. Sulphur tarnishes it quickly; it also gives the famous “rotten egg” smell to your swimsuit for a few washes.
- Wear sandals. Pool bottoms can be slippery, with mineral mud.
- Leave nothing in the car in view at unattended car parks.
- Take your rubbish home. The free pools survive because people look after them.
What to bring
- An old swimsuit (see sulphur, above) and a large towel;
- flip-flops or water shoes;
- a warm layer or dressing gown for winter — getting out is the cold part;
- water and snacks (there’s nothing on site at the free pools);
- a torch if you plan a night soak;
- a bag for wet things.
Getting there from Rome
By train. Regional trains on the FL3 line run from Roma Ostiense, Roma Trastevere and Valle Aurelia to Viterbo (Porta Romana and Porta Fiorentina stations); the journey takes roughly two hours. Check times on the Trenitalia website or app. From Viterbo, local buses run towards the thermal area, but services are limited — especially on Sundays — and you may face a walk along roads without pavements. For most visitors, a taxi from the station is the practical option.
By car. From Rome take the Via Cassia (SS2) or the A1 motorway to Orte and then the Orte–Viterbo dual carriageway. Driving time is usually around 1h15–1h45 depending on traffic. All four sites have parking.
On a tour. Several operators run thermal-bath day trips from Rome that combine a soak with Viterbo’s medieval centre or Civita di Bagnoregio — see the links at the top of this page.
Combine your soak with Viterbo
Don’t leave without walking through Viterbo itself. The San Pellegrino quarter is one of the best-preserved medieval neighbourhoods in central Italy: grey peperino stone, outside staircases (profferli), arches and fountains. The Palazzo dei Papi, with its open Gothic loggia, recalls the period when popes lived here; the papal election of 1268–1271 held in Viterbo was so long that the cardinals were famously locked in, a story often linked to the origins of the conclave.
A perfect slow day: morning in San Pellegrino, lunch in the centre, an afternoon soak at the Carletti as the light goes, and dinner back in town.
When to go
- Winter (November–March): the best season for the free pools. Steam, low sun, fewer people.
- Spring and autumn: pleasant all day; ideal for combining with sightseeing.
- Summer: daytime can be very hot and shadeless; go early in the morning or after sunset.
- Weekends and public holidays: busiest at all sites.
Where to stay
Staying in Viterbo’s historic centre lets you walk to restaurants and reach the springs in minutes by car or taxi. There are also agriturismi and hotels in the countryside around the thermal area, some with their own thermal pools — a good option if you want to soak at sunrise. See the “Plan it” box for current availability.
In short
- Free: Bullicame and Piscine Carletti — no facilities, bring everything.
- Small fee: Bagnaccio — basic facilities, check it’s open.
- Paid: Terme dei Papi — full spa.
- Rome to Viterbo is about two hours by regional train, or 1h15–1h45 by car.
- Soak in short sessions, test the water, and leave the pools as you found them.