Chianciano Terme trip planner

Chianciano Terme is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 90km southeast of Florence and about 50km southeast of Siena. It is located between the Valdichiana and the Val d'Orcia.Chianciano Terme borders the following municipalities: Chiusi, Montepulciano, Pienza, Sarteano.HistoryChianciano Terme can trace its history back to the 5th century BC and the Etruscans, who had built a temple dedicated to the god of Good Health, close to the Silene springs where the newer quarter of Chianciano (the Terme section) stands today. News of the curative power of Chianciano's water became well known during Roman times, as Horace visited the area on the advice of his physician during the 1st century BC. Luxurious Roman villas were built in the area near the thermal baths.There is little archaeological evidence of much activity during the Middle Ages, but, by the 12th and 13th centuries, Chianciano belonged to the Manenti Counts, Lords of Sarteano. Its position close to the Via Francigena (the medieval main connection from Rome to France) fostered its development, and Chianciano reached a degree of judicial autonomy by 1287 when it established its own statutes.