Saturnia | |
|---|---|
 Cascate del Mulino (Mill waterfalls) | |
  Saturnia Location of Saturnia in Italy | |
| Coordinates:42°39′59″N11°30′15″E / 42.66639°N 11.50417°E /42.66639; 11.50417 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region |  Tuscany |
| Province | Grosseto (GR) |
| Comune | Manciano |
| Elevation | 294 m (965 ft) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
• Total | 280 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 58050 |
| Dialing code | 0564 |
Saturnia (Italian:[saˈturnja]) is a spa town inTuscany in north-central Italy that has been inhabited since ancient times. It is afrazione of thecomune ofManciano, in theprovince of Grosseto. Famous for thespa which gives it its name, its population is 280.[1]
It lies about 14 km (8.7 mi) from Manciano, 56 km (35 mi) fromGrosseto, 37 km (23 mi) northeast ofOrbetello and the coast and 115 km (71 mi) fromRome. Near the village, 800 L/s of sulphurous water at 37 °C gushes over a waterfall and down into a cascade of natural pools formed by the deposition of calcareous rock from evaporation of the water.
Saturnia, which until 30BC was known asAurinia,[2] takes its name from the Roman godSaturn (or Saturnus). Legend has it that he grew tired of the constant wars of humans, and sent a thunderbolt to earth that created a magic spring of warm sulphurous water which would pacify mankind.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus lists Saturnia as one of the towns first occupied by thePelasgi and then by theEtruscan civilization. ARoman colony arrived in 183 BC, but little is known about it other than the fact that it was aprefecture. There are still remains of thecity walls, in thepolygonal style, which contain Roman gateways. Roman remains have also been discovered within the town, and remains oftombs outside. These tombs were originally covered bytumuli, which have now disappeared, so that George Dennis, author ofCities and Cemeteries of Etruria, mistook them formegalithic remains.
In 1300, Saturnia became the hideout of outlaws and was razed to the ground by theSienese. Forgotten for several centuries, Saturnia was rediscovered in the late 19th century when the land around the spring was drained and a spa built. Thousands of visitors come to bathe in the waters to this day.
The Church of Santa Maria Maddalena is the main church in Saturnia. The earliest historical records related to the church date back to 1188, but the current building is due to a restoration of 1933.
The church holds the famousMadonna and Child fresco attributed toBenvenuto di Giovanni at the end of the 15th century.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Saturnia".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 233.
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