L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026 L'Italo-Americano A s warmer weath- e r r e t u r n s a n d travelers begin planning spring a n d s u m m e r escapes, one of Italy's oldest habits is finding a new audi- ence. Thermal towns and spa destinations across the country are attracting visitors who want more than a hotel stay or a crowded checklist itinerary for their vacation. Rather, they are looking for recovery, slower rhythms, natural settings, and experi- ences that are rooted and nat- ural, perhaps with a pleasant hint of luxury. Italy happens to offer all of that through a tradition that long predates the modern w e l l n e s s i n d u s t r y . T h e terme, the country's thermal baths and spa towns, are hav- ing a new moment, though in truth they never quite disap- peared! S o m e t h i n g d i d c h a n g e , however, and that's the way they are being seen. For much of the twentieth century, the Italian thermal holiday was often associated with medical treatments, older genera- tions, and long domestic stays prescribed for circulation, respiratory issues, or rehabili- tation. Many Italians still remember grandparents leav- ing for "the cure" each year, often to the same town, with routines built around waters, mud treatments, and prome- nades with friends. Today, the picture is broader, with younger travelers, interna- tional visitors, couples, and remote workers increasingly viewing thermal destinations as places where wellness, his- tory, and travel can meet in one trip. I t a l y i s e s p e c i a l l y w e l l p l a c e d f o r t h i s c h a n g e because its thermal culture rests on real historical foun- dations. The Romans did not i n v e n t b a t h i n g , b u t t h e y transformed baths into one of the defining institutions of urban life, with the creation of the Roman thermae, true social centers that combined hot, warm, and cold rooms with exercise spaces, gar- dens, reading rooms, busi- ness encounters, and public gatherings. Bathing was part hygiene, part ritual, part civic life. Across the peninsula, t h e r m a l w a t e r s k n o w n i n antiquity continued to be used and were integrated into Roman systems. That legacy remains visi- ble in many modern destina- tions. Abano Terme, in the Veneto region near Padua, was known in Roman times as Aquae Patavinae. Its hot w a t e r s a n d m i n e r a l m u d have attracted visitors for c e n t u r i e s , a n d t o d a y i t r e m a i n s o n e o f E u r o p e ' s largest thermal centers. The town has a distinctly orga- nized spa identity: elegant hotels, treatment programs, pools, pedestrian areas, and a long tradition of combining health-oriented stays with leisure. Unlike the image of a trendy weekend spa, Abano represents something older and more substantial: well- ness, here, reads as "continu- ity." F u r t h e r w e s t , T u s c a n y offers one of the most recog- nizable symbols of Italy's thermal appeal: Terme di Saturnia. The waters there e m e r g e a t a r o u n d 3 7 . 5 ° C (99.5°F) and have flowed for m i l l e n n i a t h r o u g h t h e Maremma landscape. The famous Cascate del Muli- no, with their pale travertine pools and steaming water, have become internationally known through photography and social media, but there is more than beauty to think of. Saturnia combines open-air bathing, countryside atmos- phere, and the sense that nature itself prepared the set- ting to perfection, and, in a travel market saturated with curated experiences, natural- l y w a r m w a t e r m o v i n g through stone still has obvi- ous power and charm. Then there is Sirmione, on Lake Garda, where ther- m a l c u l t u r e m e e t s o n e o f Italy's most scenic historic settings: the peninsula is crowned by the medieval Scaliger Castle and linked to the Roman archaeological site known as the Grotte di Catullo. Beneath this beauty l i e s s u l p h u r o u s t h e r m a l w a t e r d r a w n f r o m d e e p underground. Visitors can move in a single day between lake views, Roman ruins, his- toric streets, and spa treat- ments, offering an experien- t i a l l a y e r i n g d i f f i c u l t t o replicate elsewhere. This year's terme's popu- larity is also a reflection of larger travel trends, with w e l l n e s s t o u r i s m h a v i n g grown globally as travelers s e e k s h o r t e r r e s t o r a t i v e breaks to reduce stress and improve their quality of life, as well as destinations more connected with nature. Many don't care about buying luxu- ry for its own sake, they are interested in returning home feeling better than when they left. Italy's spa towns fit this demand because they offer water, walking, food culture, landscape, and often the pos- sibility of slowing down with- out withdrawing completely from the pleasures of travel. Another advantage lies in t h e w a y I t a l i a n t h e r m a l towns developed historically. In some countries, spa cul- ture is concentrated in pur- pose-built resorts detached from ordinary life, but in Italy, many thermal destina- tions are also living towns with exciting art scenes and neighborhoods. This social dimension has always been important because the terme were never only about treat- ment rooms and silence, they were places to meet people, r e l a x , d r e s s w e l l f o r a n e v e n i n g p r o m e n a d e , exchange news, and, why not, even flirt. Then, you'd return every year to the same hotel w h e r e f r i e n d s h i p s h a d formed over decades. Even now, anyone spending time in an Italian thermal town notices that wellness, here, often includes sociability. This newer wave of inter- est is also helping to refresh the image of spa travel in i t s e l f , g i v i n g i t a c o o l e r , younger look, and what was o n c e d i s m i s s e d b y s o m e younger travelers as some- t h i n g f o r r e t i r e e s i s n o w being rediscovered through a different lens. Thermal week- ends attract couples from the city, international visitors looking for art tourism and some countryside recovery, and professionals eager to spend two or three days away from screens. This new type of spa lover meets with the older generation, creating an interestingly bubbly clientele mix. Italy has no shortage of destinations competing for attention, from beaches and art cities to lakes and moun- tain villages, and we all know t h a t . T h e t e r m e s u c c e e d because they offer something slightly rarer: they give you permission to pause. Water slows people down, rituals create rhythm, and historic places remind visitors that rest need not be a new inven- tion sold at premium prices. S o , l o n g b e f o r e w e l l n e s s became a marketing catego- ry, Italians were traveling to thermal waters to recover strength, socialize, and mark the seasons. That habit now moved into the present, and opened its doors to an entire- ly new generation of terme lovers. In a fast, crowded travel c u l t u r e , t h e o l d t h e r m a l towns of Italy still propose a different model, made of rest, time dedicated to oneself, and relaxation. It is no sur- prise the world is beginning to notice again. CHIARA D'ALESSIO From Roman baths to modern escapes: Italy's terme return The historic thermal complex of Salsomaggiore Terme, where architecture and spa culture reflect a long-standing Italian tradition of wellness (Photo: Alexander Liess/Dreamstime) Natural thermal waterfalls in Tuscany, with their mineral-rich waters flowing through the landscape in open-air spa settings (Photo: Shaiith/Dreamstime) LIFESTYLE WELL-BEING ADVICE TOURISM

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