Contursi Terme takes its name from the hot springs that break from the hillsides above the Sele valley. Several thermal hotels and spa establishments cluster here, offering both accommodation with full thermal programmes and day access to pools and treatments. The waters are classified as sulphurous-bicarbonate-alkaline, with temperatures ranging from around 30°C to 40°C depending on the spring, and Italian doctors have been prescribing cures here for respiratory, skin, and digestive conditions for generations.
The experience is very Italian: not the luxurious international-spa feel of, say, the Alto Adige, but something more clinical and social — families in rubber flip-flops, elderly couples comparing their ailments, and a general atmosphere that the waters are serious medicine. If you want to immerse yourself in the rituals of Italian cura thermale rather than Instagram-friendly wellness, this is the place.
Facilities include indoor and outdoor pools, mud baths, inhalation rooms for respiratory treatments, and various massage options. The thermal hotels are the most convenient way to access the full range of treatments; day visitors can usually access the pools for a fee.