Discover Roman Bath Culture at Italy’s Best Thermal Spa Resorts

Experience Italy's ancient spa culture.

Roman Thermal Spa Resorts
Credit: © The ADLER Spa Resort Thermae

Prepare to fall in love not only with Italy’s stunning architecture and fabulous wines but also its ancient spa culture. Picture vineyards, olive tree groves, historic villages, and exceptional farm-to-table cuisine at wellness retreats and chic countryside thermal spas.

These two thermal spa resorts elevate Italy’s ancient Roman spa culture with an elegant modern take on what the ancient Romans enjoyed for centuries. Now, Italy’s La Dolce Vita and wellness collide in the most magical way. 

1. The ADLER Spa Resort Thermae

Perched in the heart of Tuscany’s rolling hills of sunflowers, grain, and vineyards, the ADLER Spa Resort Thermae is a chic wellness wonderland where you can float for days in its mineral-rich waters. Just steps away from historic Bagno Vignoni, it’s surrounded by the stunning landscape of Val d’Orcia that stretches from Siena to Grosseto. 

© The ADLER Spa Resort Thermae

Views from this five-star hotel and Tuscan wellness oasis will take your breath away. Fragrant cypress treelined rolling hills dot the landscape along with historic hilltop villages. Combining the best in Italian luxury with ancient wellness practices, the resort’s mantra is- peace, health, and beauty.

Days are spent in bathrobes and spa slippers padding from the thermal pool to the meditation grotto and steam rooms, to an aromatherapy ritual in the panoramic sauna, and then to a facial or massage. Relax in waterbed loungers or by the pool and let your mind go as you soak in views of Tuscan rolling hills. 

Organic wine and olive oil tasting 

© The ADLER Spa Resort Thermae

How often do you organize your day around thermal pools, massages, and organic wine tasting? Such is at the ADLER Spa Resort Thermae. When you’re not relaxing during a world-class facial or tanning under the Tuscan sun by the pool, just minutes away is the resort’s organic winery Tenuta Sanoner. Refresh your palate with the sparkling brut rosé before tasting through lovely organic Sangiovese wines. Stay for a light lunch featuring its estate-grown organic olive oil on the patio and drink in the view. 

Guided e-bike tours and day trips 

© The ADLER Spa Resort Thermae

A perfect jumping board to explore the best of Tuscany, book a guided e-bike tour through the backroads of Val d’Orcia and discover Tuscan hill towns like gorgeous Pienza. Tours last from a few hours to a half day and then, of course, you’re back in time to relax for the rest of the day in the spa or by the pool. 

Or sign up for a day trip to nearby historic Tuscan cities like Siena, Montepulciano, and Montalcino. Or take a guided hike through vineyards and olive groves. If you want to experience it all – custom guest packages combine wellness, spa treatments, wine tasting, and adventure into your stay.   

A gourmet Tuscan experience 

Chef Gaetano Vaccaro creates healthy Tuscan cuisine that focuses on local “0 km” organic ingredients. Guests dine in an open-air restaurant with moon views or for lunch at the charming garden Osteria. Delicious, balanced, and nutrient dense Tuscan meals pair perfectly a curated list of fine wines. If you’re so inspired take a cooking class and learn how to make the chef’s specialties with home-grown organic olive oil, garden herbs, and local truffles and cheese. 

2. QC Terme Roma Wellness Resort 

Just thirty minutes from Rome in Traiano’s natural park, you’ll feel a world away at the QC Terme Roma SPA & Resort. This recently renovated country estate turned 5-star luxury thermal spa and resort is elevated Italian country chic. With elegant apricot buildings, tall fragrant trees, mossy fountains, and lantern lit pathways – the resort is just as magical at night as it is during the day.

When in Rome, slip on your spa robe and do like the ancient Romans did. Stay for the day at the resort and relax in the whirling pools, tubs and get a massage under a waterfall. Or spend the night in one of the hotel’s fifty luxury rooms. 

Wellness trail

Located on Via Portuense, one of the original roads to Rome dating back to the first century, QC Terme Roma created a new road to wellness. With indoor and outdoor thermal sensory soaking tubs, hydro-massage pools, a Japanese bath, bio-sauna with a cold plunge, and Kneipp path – you’re immersed in nature under centuries-old trees to experience a rejuvenated sense of wellbeing. 

Inside you’ll discover even more hydro baths, aromatherapy steam rooms, and elegant sensorial relaxation rooms with floating swings and herbal teas. 

In between soaks in the pool, book a massage or facial at the resort’s full-service spa. Focusing on the pleasure of the senses – treatments incorporate relaxing music, oils, scents, and a signature flow to the bodywork that stimulates circulation and relaxes your muscles. 

Wellness cuisine 

Here, there’s no need to get dressed for lunch. Dine alfresco in your spa robe and enjoy a fresh and savory wellness buffet and salad bar. Then, following in the tradition of ancient Rome, the resort is famous for its nightly Aperaterme at 6 pm. A spa robe mandatory social hour, you’ll enjoy sparkling wine, fresh fruits, and delicious Italian appetizers surrounded by glowing furnaces on the terrace. 

For dinner, dine at QC Terme Roma’s restaurant. A modern experience in wellness fine dining, think white tablecloths, a maître d’ and a sommelier to guide you through its farm-fresh contemporary Italian menu. 

Explore nearby ancient Rome 

Not far from the resort are ancient ruins and Italian treasure to explore. Day trip to the ancient Roman port city of Ostia Antica and visit the ruins of Necropoli di Porto Isola Sacra. Or explore the national treasures of Traiano’s natural park. The concierge can book horseback riding and a trip to the sea. 

Find Donna on Twitter and Instagram.

Related on Organic Authority

The Ultimate Guide to Wellness in the Swiss Alps
Step Inside the Legendary Golden Door Resort and Spa
5 Reasons to Take an Eco-wellness Getaway in the Cayman Islands 

Tags: