Terme del Bullicame

About Terme del Bullicame

The Bullicame is perhaps Viterbo's most celebrated hot spring, so famous that Dante mentions it in the Divine Comedy. It lies on the plain west of the city, about two and a half kilometres from the old town, in an area where the volcanic ground produces extremely hot water. The main spring rises into a pool inside a small natural crater, and the surface of the water is constantly broken by gas bubbles: hence the name Bullicame, meaning "bubbling water".

The water comes out at around 58 °C, too hot to get into right at the source, and is channelled into two pools where it cools down: one round and one more elongated. This is where you bathe, for free. The water is sulphurous and has a very strong smell, which stays on your skin and swimwear for quite a while.

Unlike other free hot springs, the Bullicame has daytime opening hours: the area is looked after and managed, and one of the sources we consulted gives opening times of 8 am to 5 pm. Information about its management is not consistent, so before you go it's worth checking the latest times on the Viterbo council website or on site. That's why we have classified it as "regulated".

There are no changing rooms or showers, so it's essential to bring fresh water to rinse off after your soak, as well as flip-flops and a towel. The car park is small and free, right next to the pools. Given the high temperature, the Bullicame isn't ideal for young children or for people with blood pressure or heart problems.

The Piscine Carletti are in the same area and, a little further north, the Terme del Bagnaccio: if you're coming from Rome you can easily combine several pools in one day. And of course it's worth spending a few hours in Viterbo's medieval centre, with the San Pellegrino quarter and the Palazzo dei Papi.