History La Locanda di Petriolo restoration project

Bagni di Petriolo

Bagni di Petriolo are located in the land of the Ombrone basin, along the Farma river, in the homonymous part Nature Reserve, about 30km from Siena, next to the town of Monticiano (Siena) where are situated the Baths and the municipality of Civitella Paganico (Grosseto) which the hamlets of Pari and Castel di Pari are the closest towns to the location.
A rare example of a fortified thermal estabilishment, the Baths are composed of an average of six meters high walls, three towers and doors that surround a hectare of land, which includes a church building on the higher floor and a lodge on the lower floor (river bank level).

The first certain references date back to the Middle Ages. Petriolo has experienced periods of wealth alternating with phases of economic contraction. The archaeological excavations shown the presence of a 13th century wall, entirely replaced by the one currently visible which dates back to the early 1400s. The therapeutic use of the thermal waters of Petriolo are shown by the presence of the historic baths consisting of three basins for ablutions covered in stone and protected by an arcade, presumably dating back to 1200 and on which stands the loggia, transformed in the following centuries into a church. This place witnessed the passage of princes, popes and entire courts who moved to reach the locality. 

The Restoration Project

The project of the Bagni di Petriolo was born in 2015 by the initiative of Italia Nostra Association and UnipolSai, owner of the area. The first step of the project started with a plan for the feasibility, restoring and enhancement of the place, also with the active collaboration of the local community. The project has begun in the 2016 and ended up in 2018.

The works took place in three lots and involved the restoration of the inn, the walls, the towers, the church and the historic baths. Over the years, historical and archaeological investigations and excavations have been carried out in the area inside the walls which have highlighted the presence of foundations of buildings dating back to 1200, as can be seen near Porta Siena. A permanent exhibition has been set up in the tower and in the church, documenting the activities carried out during the restoration and the discoveries made.

La Locanda di Petriolo

The lofty, whose original nucleus dates back to the eighteenth century, has undergone over time transformation of the structure, both on the top and in height. The discontinuities of the walls and the different building materials used, together with the comparison of the historical maps with those of the I.G.M (Military Geographic Institute) of 1907 and 1941 allowed to identify four diferent phases of life of the Locanda.
Not far from the walls, near the road that led to one of the entrances to the defensive circuit, stand an ancient isolated building traditionally called “ Locanda di Petriolo”. The layout of the building and its position with respect to the road axis allow us to assume, with a high degree of certainty, that from the beginning the construction has a receptive vocation.

In the second half of the seventeenth century, Petriolo was in a deep state of decay, from an report of that time it is clear that the only property intended for the accommodation of the users of the spa was an unidentified inn. In 1713 the management of the structure had both the pools and a large building in the Inn because the distance of the building described by the church of Santa Maria is similar to the distance that separates our accommodation from the church itself.