At a glance
The Tamburo spring is a source in the Cotto and Sinigallia hydrothermal basin, on the western side of Piazza Bagni in Casamicciola Terme. It owes its name (“drum”) to the rhythmic sound, like drumbeats, made by water and air in a hollow in the rock, a phenomenon that amazed people in the 19th century.
A spring that “played”
The Tamburo spring is one of the sources of the Cotto and Sinigallia hydrothermal basin, which occupies the western side of Piazza Bagni in Casamicciola Terme. 19th-century writers placed it in the thermal ravine, to the right of a knoll, further upstream than the Colata spring; beyond the Tamburo, climbing the ravine, you came to the great little waterfall of the Sinigallia spring.
Where the name comes from
The name tells the story of a small natural phenomenon. The physician Venanzio Marone, in his memoir of 1847, explained that the air, struck by the water falling into a hollow in the knoll, produced a rhythmic sound like the beating of a drum (tamburo). The sound aroused people's curiosity and wonder, and it lives on in the spring's name.
Past uses
The physician d'Aloisio reported good effects of the Tamburo water on various patients. By Marone's time, however, the spring was no longer used for therapeutic purposes. The waters of its basin are described by popular sources as alkaline, with sodium bicarbonate predominating, and temperatures of roughly 50 to 60 °C; no recent analyses are available for the Tamburo specifically.
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.
The ravine of springs
The Tamburo belonged to a group of springs very close together, each with a name linked to a use or a feature: the Occhio spring, the Colata, where women washed linen, the Spelonca spring and the Sinigallia. As they were open-air springs in a ravine, in winter they were often buried by earth washed down by the rain.
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, reachable on foot from the harbour and Piazza Marina or by the island's public buses. It is not a signposted sight and is not accessible for bathing: the best way to understand its setting is a stroll through the Bagni quarter.
What to see nearby
- The Occhio spring and the Spelonca spring, in the same basin.
- The Gurgitello basin and the Antiche Terme Belliazzi, on the eastern side of the square.
- The Antiche Terme Manzi, in Piazza Bagni.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called the Tamburo (drum) spring?
Where is the Tamburo spring?
Is the Tamburo spring still used for treatments?
Sources and further reading
- Hotel La Maggioressa – Ischia: bacini e sorgenti termali di Casamicciola
- IschiaSky – Il termalismo isolano nell'Ottocento (dalla memoria di Venanzio Marone, 1847)
- IschiaPrenotazioni – I principali bacini termali di Ischia
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