Fiuggi, or the ancient city of Anticoli di Campagna, as it was called at the time, was considered a Roman “castro,” or fortress.  It had towers and defensive walls, which surrounded the town center.  It wasn’t until 1911 that the name of Anticoli was changed to Fiuggi, in honor of the water that emerged from the springs below.  Even though it looks much older, the Town Hall of Fiuggi, with its clock tower, was only built in 1927.  The Town Hall sits on Piazza Trento e Trieste, which is the main piazza of the historical center.  It began to rain, so we took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat at La Torre.  By the time that we finished our sandwiches, and had a coffee, the rain had stopped, and we headed back out.  Across the piazza from the Town Hall is the lovely Chiesa di Santa Chiara.  The church dates from 1747.  I was particularly fond of the statue group in the front of the church.  The group represents the Faioli Sisters, a religious order who set up the “Conservatory of the Pious Teachers of Anticoli,” a conservatory whose mission was to help to educate the poor girls of the town.  Recently restored, the long shuttered Grand Hotel is now home to the Teatro Comunale, or the Civic Theater.  At one point in time, this hotel was THE place to stay for those traveling to Fiuggi, to partake of the waters.A plaque marks the building that housed the Confraternity of the Sorelle Faioli, which I mentioned above.Corso Sorelle Faioli becomes Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which runs the entire length of the Old Town.  The street is lined with palazzos, some in a state of disrepair, others as good as new — all are beautiful!It began to rain again, but luckily, we were in front of the Chiesa di San Pietro Apostolo, so we ducked inside for a few minutes.  Even though the church is named after Saint Peter, it is actually dedicated to Saint Paul, and dates back to the 1800’s.  The rain showed no sign of letting up any time soon, so we decided to head back down to Fiuggi Fonte, and the spa at the hotel.  Instead of backtracking, we took Via del Macello — or Street of the Butchers, as this is the street that led to most of the slaughterhouses in the ghetto area, just below.  Like many other older Italian cities, the city of Anticoli had a Jewish ghetto, and traces of it still survive today.For dinner, we went to a small pizzeria/restaurant near the hotel, where we ended our day with a good local red wine, antipasti, and grilled meats and pasta. 

Next up: We head back up to the Old Town to finish exploring it, and a visit to the source of the wonderful Acqua di Fiuggi!

Note: This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations which may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Fiuggi, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!