[Apr. 2023] The purpose of our visit to Valle d’Aosta, the north western tip of Italy, was to visit the hot spring.
The village where we stayed overnight, Pré Saint-Didier, has a famous spa.
Its name is Terme di Pre Saint Didier.
Surprisingly, this hot spring has been known since Roman times.
Romans loved hot springs, didn’t they.
And during the period of the Kingdom of Italy from 1800 to 1900, the royal family and aristocrats gathered and it was a period of great prosperity.
The hot spring facilities are still in use today, and especially in winter, the area is crowded with skiers.
It seems that the spring we went was off season, so it wasn’t that crowded.
We had made a reservation in advance through the hotel we stayed at, because that gave us 20% discount.
The discounted price was €86.40 for two people for 5 hours.
I didn’t know the market at all, and I thought it was still expensive, but it was a nice and clean facility, and pre-meal drink was included, so I was satisfied in the end.
The water temperature is said to be around 37 degrees, which is much lower than Japanese hot springs and does not require adjustment.
They say it is effective for rheumatism, muscle disorders, skin diseases, blood circulation disorders, etc.
Of course, bathrobes, towels and slippers are available for rent on the spot.
First, change into your bathing suit in a neat changing room.
I heard that there are spas around Germany where you can enter naked (I have never tried one), but here everyone is in their swimsuits.
There was an incident where I got separated from my husband when I got out of the changing room, but a complete stranger called my name (didn’t this happen in Tokyo recently?) and I was able to join him.
I didn’t know what to do at first, and I was supposed to go to relax, but somehow I was nervous.
After entering two saunas, we went around the outdoor hot spring pools with a jacuzzi and gradually got used to the place.
It’s relaxing once you get used to it.
This holiday was my husband’s idea, and although I was not very familiar this kind of holiday, I realised that it is really enjoyable.
We don’t go to places like this very often, but I think it was our fourth time, after Hungary, the suburbs of Milan in Italy, and Nottingham in the UK.
After visiting various indoor and outdoor baths, I gradually became tired, though I was just soaking in hot water.
By the way, we didn’t do it, but there seems to be some massage services.
We had reserved the pre-meal drink for 7 o’clock, so we enjoyed it and came back.
The contents were not bad, with two drinks each and an assortment of cheese, focaccia, potato chips, etc.
When you go outside from this spa, you can see the scenery of the mountains in the dim light, and it’s impressive.
That mountain is apparently the famous Mont Blanc.
By the way, the people working in this remote village were mostly outsiders.
The waiter at the restaurant during the daytime was from Southern Italy, and some of the spa employees didn’t even speak Italian.
There were quite a few blacks and some people seemed to be Eastern European.
Is it the result of depopulation?
