Lombardia · Bergamo
San Pellegrino Terme
A Liberty-era spa town in the Val Brembana, built around sulfur springs that give the world its mineral water.
Picked by Peter Benei
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 8 min from Brescia
- Population
- 4,652
- J9°
- F11°
- M13°
- A16°
- M20°
- J25°
- J27°
- A27°
- S22°
- O18°
- N12°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The town sits along a single bend of the Brembo river, where mineral and sulfur springs had been documented since the 13th century but were only commercialised after the railway from Bergamo reached the valley. That timing explains why the whole ensemble reads as one build: the hotel, the casino and the bath house went up within a few years of each other, facing each other across the water rather than scattered through the town. The bottling plant sits a kilometer downstream from the springs, turning the source into the mineral water sold worldwide.
Above the built-up center, the funicular climbs to the Vetta panoramic point on the ridge, putting the whole valley below in view. The Val Brembana around it is one of Lombardia's Cittaslow-style slow-tourism valleys, with the Borghi-più-belli of Cornello dei Tasso fifteen kilometers north and a chain of cycling routes along the river. What holds the town together, in the end, is the water itself: it drew the springs' early notice, funded the Liberty building spree once the railway arrived, and still leaves the valley in bottles long after the casino stopped taking bets.
How to get there
From Milan Bergamo (BGY), about 38 min by car.
Verona (VRN) is about 1 h 50 min away.
By car from the center of Brescia 1 h 8 min.
Coming by train into Bergamo? San Pellegrino Terme is about 33 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Milan Bergamo airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Grand Hotel San Pellegrino
Completed in 1904, the most elaborate facade of the ensemble: cast-iron balconies, stained glass, and a marble entrance hall by Romolo Squadrelli.
Casinò Municipale (Casinò Liberty)
Matching Liberty style across the Brembo from the hotel, closed to gaming since 1917 but open for events and as a visitable architectural set piece.
Terme di San Pellegrino (QC Terme)
Original 1900 building running on the historic sulfur springs, operated today by QC Terme as a full-day spa with indoor and outdoor pools at 36°C.
Funicolare di San Pellegrino
Small panoramic funicular climbing from the center to the Vetta belvedere on the ridge above town, with views over the whole Val Brembana.
Living here
Could you live here?
San Pellegrino Terme is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 4,652, with Zogno (8,601 people) 13 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Bergamo, a city of 120,389, is 31 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 4,652, down 5% since 2015
- Nearest city Bergamo, 31 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital San Giovanni Bianco, 5 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,200 to €1,500 per m² to buy, €5.60 to €7.20 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 40% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Milan Bergamo airport (BGY), 38 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Milan, 1 h 15 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
4% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Ukraine, Romania and Tunisia, against 9% across Italy. There are 300 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 35% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Bergamo province ranks 5th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in San Giovanni Bianco, 5 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Bergamo, 16 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Bergamo, 16 km away. The nearest IB school is Bilingual British School, 14 km as the crow flies. There are 2 within 30 km.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.75% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lombardia spends about €2,410 a month, €510 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €415 a year for water, on the Lombardia average. In Bergamo, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.25, a meal in a pizzeria €12.40 and a man's haircut €22.34.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 6% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 9% in a high or medium one. 11% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Thermal baths in town: QC Terme San Pellegrino, Terme di San Pellegrino.
Known for
MINERAL WATER
The source of Acqua San Pellegrino, bottled in the valley since 1899 and exported worldwide; the spring at the Terme has been documented since the 13th century.
LIBERTY ARCHITECTURE
The most complete Italian Art Nouveau (Liberty) ensemble of any spa town in northern Italy: Grand Hotel, Casinò and Terme all built 1899-1907.
TERME
Comuni Termali member; the QC Terme bath complex is one of the largest historic-spa operators in Italy.
Common questions
- What is San Pellegrino Terme known for?
- San Pellegrino Terme is a Liberty-era spa town in the Val Brembana, built around sulfur springs that give the world its mineral water.
- Where is San Pellegrino Terme?
- San Pellegrino Terme is a comune in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardia, at 358 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to San Pellegrino Terme?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Milan Bergamo (BGY), about 38 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Brescia to San Pellegrino Terme?
- About 1 h 8 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit San Pellegrino Terme?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 27 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 22 rain days.
- Which other towns are like San Pellegrino Terme?
- Tirano, Chiavenna and Morcone.
- How many people live in San Pellegrino Terme?
- 4,652 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is San Pellegrino Terme a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, San Pellegrino Terme is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Zogno, 13 min). The nearest city, Bergamo, is 31 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in San Giovanni Bianco, 5 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 40% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 358 m
- Population: 4,652
- Surface area: 22.95 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists San Pellegrino Terme appears in
- The best hot-spring towns within two hours of MilanNear Milanhot springswithin 2 hours7 towns · smallest 3,322 residents · closest 75 min away
- The best mountain towns within two hours of MilanNear Milanmountainwithin 2 hours7 towns · smallest 12 residents · closest 75 min away
- The best hot-spring towns within two hours of BresciaNear Bresciahot springswithin 2 hours9 towns · smallest 1,779 residents · closest 37 min away
- The best mountain towns within two hours of VeronaNear Veronamountainwithin 2 hours10 towns · smallest 1,142 residents · closest 67 min away
Similar
Towns like San Pellegrino Terme
What all six share with San Pellegrino Terme: mountain-valley towns · between 3,000 and 10,000 people
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