‘Bagno Vignoni was very much enjoyed since the Etruscans and Romans consecrated these waters to natural goddess called the Nymphs, although it is more likely that a consul benefited from the healing thermal waters and in turn of it dedicated Bagno Vignoni to a supernatural worship… there is actually an inscription over there’ Barbara, our landlady, is pointing at a marble plate posted beside the thermal bath. Bagno Vignoni, a tiny village in Val d'Orcia Natural Park, is just counting 30 inhabitants and is still popular to tourists for its natural hot springs. Barbara is actually one of those inhabitants, so proud and fortunate to live in this enchanted place all year long, while managing her B&B.

‘Saint Catherine of Siena but also Lorenzo the Magnificent and many others spent their holidays here and the funny thing is that, despite wars, devastation and fires, the structure remains essentially unchanged since the Middle Ages.’ Barbara carries on unfolding Bagno Vignoni’s history, while my mind is fancying a living history experience … In fact, you might mentally shoot a movie taking place at Lorenzo the Medici’s time… picture long silk dresses strolling under the wooden colonnade, accompanied by servants who helped their lords to undress and sink into the vaporous water and to balm their skin with precious essential oils coming from the middle east… on the other side, the colonnade represented a shelter for strained pilgrims on their way to Rome soothing their limbs in the salubrious water and the air filled up with scent of incense.

‘The Piazza delle Fonti, namely Square of sources, is a rectangular tank, of 16th-century origin, containing the original source of water that comes from the underground and having volcanic origins, became even more popular to Christian pilgrims traveling this route on their way to Rome during XII and XIIIth centuries, thanks to their proximity to Via Francigena, connecting Northern Europe to the Italian Peninsula.’ Barbara is so eloquent about this place and she is willing to make us part of it and become intimate with the history and atmosphere of Bagno Vignoni before our wedding day.

By the way, I will be the first foreigh bride to get married here! So I am practically going to be registered in the historical annals of this place, cool! I have been thinking about my wedding day many times and dreamt of romantic venues, candle lights, music all around and great food to share with my family and friends. When I bumped into Barbara and Sabrina’s (her sister) B&B on the web, googling around in search for a romantic place to spend my anniversary, I would never thought this might be my wedding venue: a whole ancient village for our wedding.

Despite one can think, Bagno Vignoni is still owned by private noble families and it is not a public property, that is why private ceremonies and receptions are possible around the pool and surrounding open air areas. Sabrina joins the conversation in her joyful and friendly attitude, describing how the latest wedding was arranged with flowers, candles, buffet settings and many artists moving around on stilts and playing with soap bubbles in daylight and fire sticks at night.

‘This pool is no longer used by the public, but we are allowed to build up a platform in its centre, which allows the couple to walk all the way to the middle of it, barefoot, almost as lifted up, and finally kiss each other on the water surrounded by the warm reflections of the pool.’, when Sabrina has finished to describe that moment, I am totally blissed.

Sabrina and Barbara are talking to my future husband ‘The entire village and all its spaces will be entirely at your disposal for dancing and entertainments’ and as their voice fade away, I am again dreaming of ourselves walking on the water with rose petals blowing around us, dancing under the patio lit up with candles glittering under the summer breeze…in the distance music and laughter of our friends and relatives sipping their holy dews of wine…this is Bagno Vignoni, Unesco World Heritage Site and a “happy island” where the bride and groom can live their wedding day like in a fairy tale.

For more information:
B&B Il Loggiato
www.loggiato.it