Spelonca Spring

A spring in the thermal ravine

The Spelonca spring – also recorded in some sources as “Spelonga” – belongs to the Cotto and Sinigallia hydrothermal basin, which covers around 10,000 square metres on the western side of Piazza Bagni, at the foot of the Olivo and Pera hills. Descriptions of the basin list it among the springs that flow into it, together with the Colata, the Tamburo and the Cotto.

The sources consulted give no specific description of the Spelonca, nor the origin of its name, which in Italian means a grotto or cave. We therefore prefer to keep to what is documented, placing the spring in the context of the basin to which it belongs.

The waters of the basin

Popular sources describe the waters of the Cotto and Sinigallia basin as colourless and odourless, not effervescent, with a slightly “lye-like” taste and temperatures of roughly 50 to 60 °C. They are alkaline waters with a predominance of sodium bicarbonate, already tested by Giulio Iasolino in the 16th century. No recent analyses specific to the Spelonca spring are available.

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.

A landscape of small springs

The Cotto ravine was home to a group of springs lying very close together, each with a name linked to a use or a peculiarity: the Occhio spring, where people bathed their eyes; the Colata, where the women of the neighbourhood did their washing; the Tamburo, which made a rhythmic sound; and the Sinigallia, with its great jet of water. As these were open-air springs, the winter rains often covered them with earth and debris. In the 19th century the physician Venanzio Marone observed that many of these waters were less exploited than those of the nearby Gurgitello.

Where it is and how to get there

The spring is in the western part of Piazza Bagni, in the upper part of the centre of Casamicciola Terme. The square can be reached on foot from the harbour and Piazza Marina by walking inland, or by the island's public transport. The Spelonca is neither a signposted attraction nor a bathing spot.

What to see nearby

• The Tamburo spring and the Occhio spring.
• The Gurgitello basin and the Antiche Terme Belliazzi.
• The Antiche Terme Manzi, in Piazza Bagni.