Fiuggi

Fiuggi
Comune
Comune di Fiuggi
Coat of arms
Fiuggi Location of Fiuggi in Italy
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province / Metropolitan city	Frosinone (FR)
Government
• Mayor	Fabrizio Martini
Area
• Total	33 km2 (13 sq mi)
Elevation	747 m (2,451 ft)
Population (31 December 2010)
• Total	9,755
• Density	300/km2 (770/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Fiuggini
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	03014
Dialing code	0775
Patron saint	St. Blaise
Saint day	February 3
Website	Official website

Fiuggi Water

View of Fiuggi

Terme di Bonifacio VIII

Fiuggi is a comune (municipality) in the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio in central Italy. The town of Fiuggi became famous for its Acqua di Fiuggi (Fiuggi Water) which flows from its natural springs and mountains. The water has been used in Italy since as early as the 14th century and is famous for its natural healing properties.

History

Fiuggi, originally called Anticoli di Campagna, gained fame as early as the 14th century, when Pope Boniface VIII claimed his kidney stones had been healed by the mineral waters from the nearby Fiuggi spring. Two centuries later Michelangelo also extolled the virtues of the water that cured him of what he called "the only kind of stone I couldn't love." Soon Acqua di Fiuggi was being sent in bottles to all of Europe's royalty. Not until the turn of the 20th century did it become fashionable to make pilgrimages to spa towns, and it was around this time that the King of Italy renamed Anticoli in honor of its most celebrated attraction - The Fiuggi Water.

From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Fiuggi and many nearby hill towns were part of the Papal States. Unlike its neighbors, Anticoli di Campagna provided a source of revenue through the sales of its miraculous waters, and so it was often "bestowed" upon noble families in payment for services rendered. Sometimes these aristocrats didn't bother to visit the town, but they always sent a delegate to make sure none, or few, of the profits stayed in town. These upper-class outsiders slowly covered the original medieval walls with painted plaster similar to that found in present day Rome, changing the appearance of the town. Today a very active group of local residents is slowly restoring the stone façades in an effort to restore the city to its medieval form.

Healing properties

Acqua di Fiuggi is best known in Italy for its history and various healing properties. In Italy the water is served at many restaurants and is popular in all major supermarket chains. Many Europeans drink the water daily for its light and smooth taste and for its supposed cleansing and depurative capacities (purifying effects) to the body. The source of the water runs through ancient volcanic deposits in the Ernici mountains which has an ecosystem that has historically been unaltered by humans. In Europe it is classified as an Oligomineral water which is low in mineral content - Oligomineral waters are light and thus absorbed by the body much quicker than other waters. Fiuggi has been proven to contain certain components of the 'humic substance' group which, it is claimed, gives the water its health benefits. Fiuggi has been proven to be effective in breaking down and flushing out kidney stones from the body and helping to improve kidney function. It is known to aid in the removal of metabolic waste from the body and possibly to help flush out toxins from the kidneys via the urinary tract system. Many older generations in Italy claim that it is helpful to get rid of gout, uric acid and may increase the metabolism.

From the 1960s to the 1990s Fiuggi was known by its aggressive advertising slogan "Fiuggi - the water that keeps you young".

Accreditation

Fiuggi water is accredited by the Italian National Health Institute for kidney stimulation and helping to break down and dissolve kidney stones. Various medical studies have been performed and published in Italian scientific journals citing evidence that Fiuggi is beneficial for dissolving kidney stones and improving kidney function.

Terme di Fiuggi

In the town of Fiuggi there are several spas that incorporate the Fiuggi water as part of their hydrotherapy treatment. This is a popular resort area and for government employees a trip here is covered by their national health plan. Terme di Fiuggi is perhaps the best known spa and has a doctor on site to help administer patient diets and water consumption for cleansing and other health purposes.

Main sights

Fiuggi is a classic Italian town divided into two parts, the upper and lower. The area where the springs are located is called new Fiuggi, or Fiuggi Fonte at the base of the hill (it was developed during the Middle Ages so it is not all that new). The upper part or old Fiuggi, is 760 metres (2,500 ft) above sea level. The natives call it "Fiuggi Citta". Fiuggi Citta is a medieval fortified village, which was around even before Roman times

Today, the spring remains the big draw in Fiuggi. While not as miraculous as Lourdes, visiting the natural spring, and drinking its water, has become a pilgrimage for thousands of visitors annually. Two springs, Fonte di Bonifacio VIII, the more ancient of the two, and Fonte Anticolana, have earned Fiuggi the distinction of being the most famous spa in Lazio and one of the most internationally celebrated places in the world. Like all Italian spa towns, Fiuggi has loads of great shopping, and plenty of good restaurants serving hearty local food. The most illustrious hotel in town is the Grand Hotel Palazzo della Fonte, one of Europe's best-known grand hotels, with over three hundred spacious rooms, a covered and an outdoor pool, a fitness club, tennis courts and a first-rate restaurant.

Main attractions include:

• Fonte Bonifacio
• Fonte Anticolana
• Terme di Fiuggi - Spa and Golf center
• The tiny church of Santa Maria del Colle
• The church of San Biagio, which even if it was rebuilt in the 17th century, it still preserves some fresco paintings of Giotto's scholars.
• The cast iron fountain in Piazza Piave, erected in 1907 to celebrate the arrival of running water in this town that owes its very existence to the abundant springs running below the hill.
• The ornate Palazzo Falconi, at the center of the ancient town. To this building it is linked the legend that also Napoleon Bonaparte has slept here.
• The former Grand Hotel, now the municipal theatre.
• The church of "San Pietro" built on the ruins of the ancient castle. The actual bell tower was one of the tower of the former castle.

Spa complex

The town of Fiuggi was previously called Anticolana until the 20th century when the name was changed to Fiuggi to reflect its most famous attraction. Fiuggi now relies heavily on tourism from Italy and Europe to its famous Spas. All Italian government employees receive a visit to Fiuggi and its spas as it is included in their national health plan. The two most well known spas are Terme di Fiuggi and the Grand Palazzo Hotel which is one of Europe's largest. In the Fiuggi area there are golf courses, therapeutic spas, sporting events, theater, an array of Italian food and many other events.

21st century

Fiuggi water is bottled and sold all throughout Italy, Europe, Australia, Russia, as well as the largest cities in the United States of America, Canada and the Middle East. Many Italians and other Europeans make yearly trips to the town of Fiuggi for its history and for a visit to the famous spas.

Culture

The town is linked with the legend of the stuzze, in which St. Blaise, in order to save the town from the assault of enemy troop, had fake flames appear on the town, disguising the invaders and convincing them that the town had been already sacked. The miracle is today celebrated every 2 February when wooden pyramids are burned in the principal square of the town to remember the event.

Twin towns

• Helmstedt, Germany
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Tarrafal de São Nicolau, Cape Verde

External links

• In Italy Online - Fiuggi
• Travel Italy Video - Fiuggi