A perfect package: food and wine, landscapes, art, culture…and relaxation!
Not everyone knows it, but Romagna is a land with a centuries-old thermal tradition: during the period of the Roman Empire, this area was known as "Ager Termalis" due to the numerous thermal springs present in the area.
The thermal baths of Romagna were much appreciated by the Romans not only for enjoying moments of leisure and well-being, but also for the curative properties of their waters, useful for relieving dermatological, osteo-articular and respiratory disorders. With the arrival of the medieval period, the importance of the baths decreased, but they still remained frequented by pilgrims and travelers in search of cures and relief. During the Renaissance, the Romagna spas were once again in vogue; today, a trip to Romagna cannot do without - for those who love relaxation - a visit to one of the many spa resorts in the area, now equipped with cutting-edge facilities.
So, travelers or hikers…after so much exploring, close your eyes and let yourself be carried away by the regenerating pampering of the places on this itinerary: in Romagna, history comes to life through every drop of thermal water and every healing touch!
all the places to visit along this itinerary
BAGNO DI ROMAGNA
An enchanting village immersed in the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Bagno di Romagna is renowned for its healing thermal waters and the beauty of the surrounding nature. The Fonte del Bagno, the town's main spring, emanates sulphurous and iodine-salt waters, ideal for the well-being of the skin, the respiratory tract and the musculoskeletal system. Bagno di Romagna is also the ideal place for hikers: the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park, which includes part of the town, offers numerous outdoor activities, including routes for trekking, mountain biking, hiking horse and wildlife viewing.
Curiosity
Bagno di Romagna is a place of myths and traditions: the discovery of the thermal waters in this locality is told in the many versions of the legend of Sant'Agnese, a devout Christian who retired to a cave in the woods and was miraculously miraculous by the birth of the thermal spring for healing from illnesses that tormented her.
Not to be missed, especially for the little ones, is the Path of the Gnomes: Bagno di Romagna is in fact the land of fairy-tale creatures, which it is said still populate the surrounding woods today. The path starts from the public gardens in the historic center of the village and winds along a circular route of about 2 km.
CASTROCARO TERME
Continuing the itinerary north, half an hour's drive from Bagno di Romagna, there is another spa jewel of Romagna: Castrocaro Terme. A place with a fascinating cultural, food and wine and hiking heritage, Castrocaro boasts thermal waters already known and appreciated in Etruscan times for their healing properties. These mineral springs were rediscovered in the 19th century and have since been used in the modern spa facilities of Terme di Castrocaro, an avant-garde multifunctional complex dedicated to personal well-being.
Curiosity
Castrocaro Terme has obtained the Orange Flag from the Italian Touring Club, recognition assigned to small Italian tourist centers and resorts selected on the basis of rigorous criteria, including the conservation of cultural heritage, the quality of the tourist offer, care for the environment and sustainability of local activities.
BRISIGHELLA
A few kilometers from Faenza, in the province of Ravenna, Brisighella is an essential stop on the itinerary to discover the Terme di Romagna. This small medieval village – Touring Club Orange Flag, Slow City and one of the most beautiful villages in Italy – offers thermal waters from two different springs: the iodine-salt waters from the Igea Val D'Amone spring and the sulphurous ones from the Colombarino spring.
Curiosity
The distinctive element of the Terme di Brisighella is the high saline content of the waters: already in the nineteenth century, according to the testimonies, this characteristic was known to the people of the area, who used the water to extract the mineral to be used as table salt. The scientific tests on the sulphurous waters were conducted in 1862, when a first thermal structure was also built. A century later, in 1962, after a period of decline, the Terme di Brisighella were renovated with the construction of a new spa, located just 300 meters from the historic center of the town, next to the previous one.
RIOLO TERME
In the hinterland of Ravenna, at the foot of the hills of the Senio Valley, Riolo Terme - also known as the "City of Waters" - welcomes visitors with the imposing fourteenth-century beauty of the Rocca di Riolo and the walls that protect it. Here the Terme di Riolo, set in a splendid centuries-old park (the Parco delle Terme), have been offering relaxation and curative remedies since 1870 through the Vittoria, Breta, Margherita and Salsoiodica medical waters and the very fine spring mud of the Bergullo volcanoes, the only in the Region.
Curiosity
The healing power of the thermal waters of this small village on the hills between Faenza and Imola was already renowned well before the foundation of the first official structure: according to studies, already in the Renaissance period Riolo Terme was a frequent destination for self-care. There is no shortage of illustrious guests: Pellegrino Artusi, Lord Byron, the princes Bonaparte and Giosuè Carducci are among the names who have visited the miraculous baths of the City of Waters in recent centuries.