Uliveto Terme is located in a particularly picturesque setting, between the sheer walls of Monte Pisano and a bend in the Arno. For centuries its inhabitants have dedicated themselves to the exploitation of stone quarries or to their transport by river (called navicellai, as in Calcinaia).
In the village is the Church of San Salvatore, built in the 19th century on a pre-existing 11th-century church, the remains of which can be seen on the opposite side of the road. The interior, with a single nave and transept, contains several paintings and three 18th-century tabernacles. Not far away is the Church of SS Annunziata, also dating back to the Middle Ages but renovated in the 18th century, with two sandstone confessionals and a 17th-century altar.
Uliveto termal water
However, the activity that distinguishes Uliveto is the one linked to its water, renowned for centuries for its thermal spring of bicarbonate-alkaline-ferrous water, originally used for the treatment of certain skin diseases, and later becoming famous for its digestive aid properties.
The first written evidence of an ‘Ancient Bath’ in the area dates back to the Middle Ages, and is reported by the historian Ludovico Muratori, who in the 17th century refers to the church of San Martino di Noce, characterised by its Romanesque-style architecture and dating back to the 8th century. In the 19th century, Uliveto saw the flourishing of a real economic activity linked to its health-giving waters: no longer just bathing or hydropinic cures, but also bottling. The first bottles of spring water were put on the market by the then owners of the first establishment, the Grassi Marinai family, and began to spread so that, by the end of the century, the town became one of the destinations of European spa tourism. The first industrial bottling plant was established in 1910. Its effectiveness as a hydropinic cure in treating the gastrointestinal system has been scientifically proven due to the presence of calcium and bicarbonates. Today, Uliveto water is naturally effervescent and microbiologically pure. Analysts carry out chemical, chemical-physical, bacteriological and organoleptic analyses. The water is subjected to a daily quality control plan through a quality system that is certified according to the standard.
Its effectiveness as a hydropinic cure in treating the gastrointestinal system has been scientifically proven due to the presence of calcium and bicarbonates. Today, Uliveto water is naturally effervescent and microbiologically pure. Analysts carry out chemical, chemical-physical, bacteriological and organoleptic analyses. The water is subjected to a daily quality control plan through a quality system that is certified according to the standard.
Inside the establishment are the sports facilities (including the outdoor swimming pool open in summer) and the pretty Romanesque Church of San Martino al Bagno built in the 12th century in ashlars of Verrucana stone. The single-nave interior preserves a depiction of the Deposition located above the main altar.
Tourism Office