Behind our hotel, on Via Cornelio Augure, #7, we found the NaturaSì Market.  This is a wonderful organic supermarket selling everything, from dairy products and fresh vegetables, to meat and fish.

From where we stood on the other side of the street, we could see steam rising off of pools of the thermal water.  We would get a closer look at them later.

The Hotel Terme Savoia is another of the hotels in Abano Terme that offer both, clean and comfortable rooms as well as complete spa service, including pools filled with the area’s thermal water.

A local artist had taken over a deconsecrated church, and turned it into an art gallery.  I was intrigued, so we went over to check it out!

Our first main destination on this day was the Montirone, a hill which sat in a park area behind our hotel.  Until the mid-1960s, this was the home of the Terme Euganee, the main sourse of thermal water in the area.  During Roman times, a sanctuary to Apono was built here.  The thermal waters flowed even then, but were consumed by the people, as it was thought that they had healing properties.  This is no longer practiced.  It was in the late 14th century that the Montaone, as it was known then, became famous as the “Baths of Abano.”  The spa grew in popularity in 1825, when the emperor, Francesco I, visited.  In honor of this occasion, the architect, Giuseppe Jappelli, renovated all of the spa areas, as well as the park surrounding them.  The monumental entrance we see today was built in 1912.  The pavilions, on either side of the entrance stairway, were used for thermal treatments.

A copy of an ancient votive inscription, by Caio Cluentio Proculo, which was found at the site, is set on the wall to the left of the entrance.

Giuseppe Jappelli is also responsible for installing the Doric column you see near the entrance, on top of which a snake sits, a symbol referring to Hygeia, the goddess of eternity and rebirth.  This is one of the symbols of the town.

At the top of the stairway, there is a statue of the goddess Hygeia, which is the work of the sculptor, Paolo Boldrin, and which dates from 1942.

From the hill, we got a good view of the pools of thermal water we had passed earlier.

Each of the spa hotels have their own pools where they store the thermal water, allowing it to cool a little, before it enters the swimming pools the guests use.  From the hill, we could see the pools used by our hotel.

The park is dotted with small sections, covered with a grille, from which the thermal waters once flowed.

The city had planned to begin major restoration work on the park this year, but because of the ongoing pandemic, I am not certain when, or even if, this will still happen.

Leaving the old spa area, we had only walked for about five minutes, when we wandered into the Parco San Daniele, a lovely urban park area.

We decided to walk past the pools of thermal water we had noticed earlier, this time hoping to get a better view.  As it turns out, they were on the property of the Hotel Ariston Molino Buja, another of the spa hotels that fill Abano Terme.

 

Next up: We head over to Piazza Caduti, and explore a different part of town!

 

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