# Casamicciola, a European Spa Resort **At a glance:** In the 19th century Casamicciola became a spa resort known throughout Europe. Villas and grand hotels rose around the Piazza Bagni spas and on the Sentinella hills, frequented by aristocrats, the middle classes, artists and writers such as Lamartine and Ibsen. In the summer of 1883 the town was hosting over 1,500 holidaymakers. ## Useful information - **Type:** History of spa culture - **Period:** 19th century - **Period:** 19th century, until 1883 - **Places:** Piazza Bagni, La Sentinella, Piazza Maio, Rostinale - **Historic hotels:** Grande and Piccola Sentinella, Villa Balsamo, Bellevue-Villa Zavota, Gran Bretagna - **Illustrious guests:** Rossini, Lamartine, Garibaldi, Ibsen - **July 1883:** Over 1,500 bathers and tourists in town in July 1883 ## The golden century of holidays During the 19th century a stay in Casamicciola changed its nature: from a cure prescribed by a doctor it became a fashionable holiday, centred on the spas but also made up of walks, views, parties and encounters. In roughly a century the town turned into a resort known throughout Europe, as the guidebooks, illustrated periodicals and many images of the period show. The background to this story is told in [The Birth of Spa Tourism](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/birth-of-spa-tourism/). ## Spas, hotels and villas The spa heart of the town was Piazza Bagni, with the Gurgitello and its establishments: in 1856 the new Bourbon establishment opened there, now the [Antiche Terme Belliazzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/belliazzi-historic-thermal-spa/), and on the same square the Manzi family ran the establishment linked to today's [Antiche Terme Manzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/manzi-historic-thermal-spa/). Most of the hotels, however, stood higher up, between La [Sentinella](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/la-sentinella/) and Piazza Maio, then the centre of the town. The sources mention, among others, the Grande Sentinella and the Piccola Sentinella, Villa Balsamo, the Grand Hotel Bellevue at Villa Zavota and the Albergo della Gran Bretagna, which grew out of the Rostinale villa bought at the beginning of the century by the impresario Domenico Barbaja, where Gioachino Rossini had been a guest in 1817. In 1867 Giuseppe D'Ascia's _Storia dell'isola d'Ischia_ (History of the Island of Ischia), the island's first true guide, listed almost all the town's hotels. The name chosen for the Albergo della Gran Bretagna (Great Britain Hotel), painted in a foreign language on a wooden sign, hints at where its guests came from. ## Illustrious guests Casamicciola welcomed leading figures of European culture. The French poet Alphonse de [Lamartine](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/alphonse-de-lamartine/) stayed here in 1820, renting a small villa at La Sentinella, and returned to the island in 1844 while working on his novel _Graziella_. The Norwegian playwright Henrik [Ibsen](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/henrik-ibsen/) found here the inspiration for a turning point in his work, linked to the writing of _Peer Gynt_, and explored Epomeo with the Danish writer Vilhelm Bergsøe, who had come to treat his gout. In 1864 Giuseppe [Garibaldi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/giuseppe-garibaldi/) arrived to treat the wound he had received at Aspromonte: his story is told in [Garibaldi and the Thermal Cure](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/garibaldi-and-the-thermal-cure/). ## The summer of 1883 In July 1883, according to accounts gathered by Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), more than 1,500 bathers and tourists were in Casamicciola: hotels and apartments were full and more were expected. Tourism was the town's main source of income, and the summer months provided a living for the whole year. The writer Carlo Del Balzo recalled the yellow, pink, blue and orange villas that could be seen from the steamer, each with its own little story of famous guests and parties. After 1883 the town was reborn in new forms: the rebirth, told in [The Rebirth of the Spa Tradition after 1883](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/rebuilding-the-spa-tradition-after-1883/), shifted the centre of the town towards the sea and changed the face of its buildings. ## Where to find the 19th century today Traces of this era can be found in Piazza Bagni, with its historic establishments, and on the Sentinella hill, where the grand hotels once stood. The story continues with [Belle Époque Spas and Hotels](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/belle-epoque-spas-and-hotels/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Why was Casamicciola famous in the 19th century? It was Ischia's most renowned spa resort, with modern establishments and grand hotels. It drew aristocrats, the middle classes and artists from all over Europe. ### Which famous people stayed in Casamicciola? Documented guests include Gioachino Rossini, Alphonse de Lamartine, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Henrik Ibsen. With Ibsen came the Danish writer Vilhelm Bergsøe, who had come to treat his gout. ### How many holidaymakers did Casamicciola host in the 19th century? According to accounts gathered by INGV, in July 1883 more than 1,500 bathers and tourists were in Casamicciola: hotels and apartments were full and more were expected. ## Also worth seeing - [The Birth of Spa Tourism](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/birth-of-spa-tourism/) - [Garibaldi and the Thermal Cure](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/garibaldi-and-the-thermal-cure/) - [Belle Époque Spas and Hotels](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/belle-epoque-spas-and-hotels/) - [The Rebirth of the Spa Tradition after 1883](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/rebuilding-the-spa-tradition-after-1883/) - [Antiche Terme Belliazzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/belliazzi-historic-thermal-spa/) - [Antiche Terme Manzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/manzi-historic-thermal-spa/) - [La Sentinella](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/la-sentinella/) - [Giuseppe Garibaldi in Casamicciola](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/giuseppe-garibaldi/) - [Alphonse de Lamartine in Casamicciola](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/alphonse-de-lamartine/) - [Henrik Ibsen in Casamicciola](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/henrik-ibsen/) - [History of Casamicciola](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/) ## Sources and further reading - [F. Capano, Casamicciola: un soggiorno privilegiato nel secolo della borghesia, 'Ananke 85, 2018](https://www.iris.unina.it/handle/11588/729463) - [F. Capano, Il terremoto di Casamicciola del 1883: norme antisismiche e cupole tra storia e struttura, 'Ananke 91, 2020](https://www.iris.unina.it/retrieve/e268a733-c812-4c8f-e053-1705fe0a812c/4_ART_CA_2020_CapanoF_CasamicciolaTerremoto_'ANANKE91.pdf) - [Ischia.campania.it – Casamicciola Terme e i suoi ospiti illustri](https://www.ischia.campania.it/index.php/casamicciola-terme-e-i-suoi-ospiti-illustri/) - [INGVterremoti – Casamicciola, 28 luglio 1883](https://ingvterremoti.com/2018/07/27/i-terremoti-nella-storia-28-luglio-1883-la-catastrofe-di-casamicciola-sullisola-dischia/) - [Wikipedia – Terremoto di Casamicciola del 1883](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terremoto_di_Casamicciola_del_1883) - [Antiche Terme Belliazzi – La nostra storia](https://termebelliazzi.it/home/la-nostra-storia) - [IschiaSky – Garibaldi a Casamicciola Terme](https://ischiasky.it/ischia/articoli/ricette-ischitane/ischia/news/ischia/ischia/eventi/ischia/eventi/sport/ischia/gallerie-fotografiche/eventi-caratteristici/ischia/ischia/articoli/ischia/articoli/capitoli-storici/garibaldi-a-casamicciola-terme.html)