Cotto and Sinigallia Thermal Basin

What is the Cotto and Sinigallia basin?

Alongside the more famous Gurgitello basin, Piazza Bagni holds a second hydrothermal basin, known as the Cotto or Sinigallia basin (also spelt “Sinigaglia” or “Senigallia” in the sources). It covers around 10,000 square metres on the western side of the square, at the base of the Olivo and Pera hills, some 32 metres above sea level. Its waters used to flow in an open ravine, which is why winter rains often washed down earth and debris that buried the springs.

The springs of the basin

Historical descriptions list a group of springs with evocative names, each linked to a use or a particular feature:

• Cotto: according to tradition the name (“cooked”) recalls the power attributed to the water of soothing burns; it was used to prepare for the Gurgitello baths.
• Occhio or “cool bath”: the Occhio spring owes its name (“eye”) to the old custom of bathing the eyes here; some writers consider it one and the same as the Cotto.
• Sinigallia, also called the Sciatica spring: in the 19th century the physician Venanzio Marone described it as a great jet of water falling from a ledge, in the ravine beyond the Tamburo.
• Colata: the name comes from the local women's custom of washing and bleaching linen here. It was later also called Incoronata or Immacolata after an image of the Virgin that Cardinal Michelangelo Conti, later Pope Innocent XIII, is said to have had placed here in fulfilment of a vow.
• Tamburo: the Tamburo spring takes its name (“drum”) from the rhythmic sound made by water and air in a hollow in the rock.
• Spelonca: the Spelonca spring is listed among the sources that flow into the basin.

The character of the waters

Popular sources describe colourless, odourless, non-effervescent waters with a faintly “lye-like” taste, at temperatures of between 50 and 60 °C. They are alkaline waters in which sodium bicarbonate predominates. Giulio Iasolino had already tested and described them in the 16th century.

A note on health. Information on the properties of the waters is of historical and general interest only and is not medical advice: thermal treatments should be taken only at licensed establishments and on a doctor's recommendation.

History

In the 19th century the basin was less frequented than the neighbouring Gurgitello, which overshadowed its fame. In his 1847 memoir Venanzio Marone observed that some of these waters were by then little used and suggested developing them so that they could be accessible to those most in need; he also recalled witnessing, as a student in 1821, an experiment on the Sinigallia spring. Private establishments stood in the same area, such as the Occhio bath, linked to the history of the Antiche Terme Manzi.

Where it is and how to get there

The basin lies on the western side of Piazza Bagni, in the upper part of the centre of Casamicciola Terme. You can reach it on foot from the seafront and Piazza Marina by heading inland and uphill, or by the island's public buses. The springs cannot be visited freely: for information on the use of the waters, contact the spa establishments in the area.

What to see nearby

• The Gurgitello basin and the Antiche Terme Belliazzi, on the opposite side of the square.
• The Antiche Terme Manzi, one of the best-known 19th-century spa residences.
• The Piazza Bagni quarter, with its walking routes up to upper Casamicciola.