Gambassi Terme in Italy
Gambassi Terme
An Italian town of 4,824 inhabitants in the metropolitan city of Florence in Tuscany. The territory of Gambassi Terme has always been a land of transit and passage. It has certainly been so since the time of the Etruscans, being on the route that leads to Volterra. It remained so also during the Roman period, as a junction point of the Via Clodia that connected the cities of Siena and Lucca.
History
In the early Middle Ages it once again became a transit destination for pilgrims who traveled the Via Francigena, as did the Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury, who in his itinerary marking the stages of the journey towards Rome, notes in his diary the Pieve di Chianni, not far away from the center of Gambassi.
Inhabited at least since the Neolithic period, therefore, the Gambassi area reaches the period of greatest influence from the Etruscan-Archaic to the late-Roman era in the third century. A.D. and important remains have been found in the Archaeological Area of Poggio all’Aglione and in many other sites throughout the Gambassi area.
The archaeological finds from that period can be admired in the Palazzo Civico and in the headquarters of the Archaeological Group.
A few centuries later, from the Middle Ages to the modern era, the Gambassi area became known for the activity of glassmakers, who practiced their trade here. Today it is also possible to visit the Permanent Glass Exhibition which exhibits about 3000 archaeological finds, both local and Italian, dating back to the period between the 13th and 16th centuries and collects historical and archaeological studies and research on the production of glass in Valdelsa.
Name of Gambassi Terme
Gambassi owes its name, since 1977 to the thermal baths that have gushed in this area since ancient times. Still enjoyable today, the spas are immersed in the greenery of the Benestare Park.
Surrounded by an enchanting park of centuries-old plants, the "Terme della Via Francigena" wellness center offers a wide range of thermal, therapeutic and aesthetic services, using the active ingredients of Acqua Salsa di Pillo: a salty-bromoiodic water with extraordinary organoleptic and chemical components, suitable for hydropinic therapies, related to the digestive system and inhalation therapies, for respiratory disorders.
Park
The municipal park of Gambassi Terme extends in the area south-west of the town and together with the parallel Via Garibaldi, it forms the heart of the urban center. In the past, the garden formed the large courtyard of the Sinnai villa.
Among the most considerable and impressive plants are: black pines, locust trees, horse chestnuts, holm oaks, cypresses and red beeches.
The town is crossed by stage number 30 of the Via Francigena which from San Miniato arrives in Gambassi, passing through the municipalities of Castelfiorentino and Montaione, by the subsequent stage 31 which from here arrives in San Gimignano.