HISTORICAL NOTES

“THE FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTIC OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR SPACIALITY, IS FOUND IN THE THERMAL BATHS."

THE HOT SPRINGS: THE BULLICAME HOT SPRING IN THE WRITINGS OF DANTE AND MICHELANGELO

The important role that the Viterbo hot springs have played since ancient times is extensively documented, as evidenced by the writings of
Strabbone, Tibullus, Symmachus, Martial, and Scribonius Largus, the physician of the Roman Emperor Tiberius.

The Bullicame hot spring produces fluorinated sulphur-sulphate-bicarbonate-alkaline-earth water at 58°C, which has always been renowned for its therapeutic properties, even in the field of Medical Hydrology.

Its remarkable value lies in its chemical and physical properties, which make it suitable for many thermal therapy purposes, for the treatment and prevention of chronic respiratory and osteoarticular conditions, and for the treatment of various cutaneous, genital, metabolic conditions. All the thermal waters for the services at Terme dei Papi, including the splendid 2,000 square metre monumental swimming pool, come from the Bullicame hot spring.

THE HOT SPRINGS: THE BULLICAME HOT SPRING IN THE WRITINGS OF DANTE AND MICHELANGELO

The vestiges of the Roman baths extend for eleven kilometres along the ancient Via Cassia roadway, on the outskirts of Viterbo, becoming particularly prominent in the vicinity of the three main thermal areas: Aquae Passeris, Paliano, and, the most prominent, Bullicame.
The important role that the Viterbo hot springs have played since ancient times is extensively documented, as evidenced by the writings of
Strabbone, Tibullus, Symmachus, Martial, and Scribonius Largus, the physician of the Roman Emperor Tiberius.

The springs are the result of a twelve-kilometre fracture in the earth’s crust, from which hyperthermal waters (40°-58°C) rich in sulphur salts, calcium bicarbonate, magnesium and other minerals, emerge spontaneously, driven by the force of sulphurous and carbonic gases. Of these, the most important and well-known comes from a white limestone mound: the Bullicame spring.
The Bullicame hot spring produces fluorinated sulphur-sulphate-bicarbonate-alkaline-earth water at 58°C, which has always been renowned for its therapeutic properties, even in the field of Medical Hydrology.

A volcanic lake, filled with thermal waters emerging from countless springs on the clayey bottom, provides us with an extremely rare and naturally matured mud. It is therefore always used in its virgin state for therapeutic purposes, as it has already matured for millennia at the bottom of the thermal lake. From here, the Terme dei Papi facility collects two types of mud: the grey lava mud, used for mud therapy, and the white spring mud, used for beauty treatments. The testimonies of great poets and artists who, over time, had the opportunity to appreciate Viterbo’s hot springs, are also of great value.

Dante Alighieri mentions the Bullicame hot springs several times in his Divine Comedy, namely in the 14th canto of the Inferno: “As from the Bulicame springs the brooklet, the sinful women later share among them, so downward through the sand it went its way…” (verses 79-81). Michelangelo Buonarroti, in passing the Viterbo Baths on one of his trips to Rome (between 1496 and 1536), was struck by their beauty, and made two sketches of them, which are currently held by the Museum in Vicar de Lille, France.

A volcanic lake, filled with thermal waters emerging from countless springs on the clayey bottom, provides us with an extremely rare and naturally matured mud. It is therefore always used in its virgin state for therapeutic purposes, as it has already matured for millennia at the bottom of the thermal lake. From here, the Terme dei Papi facility collects two types of mud: the grey lava mud, used for mud therapy, and the white spring mud, used for beauty treatments. The testimonies of great poets and artists who, over time, had the opportunity to appreciate Viterbo’s hot springs, are also of great value.

Dante Alighieri mentions the Bullicame hot springs several times in his Divine Comedy, namely in the 14th canto of the Inferno: “As from the Bulicame springs the brooklet, the sinful women later share among them, so downward through the sand it went its way…” (verses 79-81). Michelangelo Buonarroti, in passing the Viterbo Baths on one of his trips to Rome (between 1496 and 1536), was struck by their beauty, and made two sketches of them, which are currently held by the Museum in Vicar de Lille, France.