Taking the waters

Palazzo Fiuggi in Lazio, Italy, is a world-class resort with a winning combination of fine dining, medical retreat, top-class spa and luxurious accommodation

-  TOM OTLEY

The spa town of Anticoli di Campagna, one hour south of Rome in the province of Lazio, was famed locally for the waters from its spring – Fiuggi – for centuries. No one knew what the properties of these waters were, but at a time when, if you were unwell, your options were a herb concoction from an old woman or having your leg re-set by the local barber, spring waters seemed miraculous. At the end of the 13th century, Pope Boniface VIII, suffering from gallstones and having exhausted his prayers, said its mineral waters could ‘break stones’, and its reputation was made. The beautiful location must have helped – accessible from major towns but 700m above sea level, with cooling breezes in the summer. Visitors started to arrive, including Michelangelo in the 16th century, though we don’t know what his ailment was, nor whether he was cured.

This was never mass tourism, however, and it wasn’t until 1910 that the town decided to rename itself after its spring; Anticoli becoming Fiuggi. By then there were dozens of hotels, and the grandest of all – the Palazzo Fonte della Fonte Fiuggi – opened in 1913, designed in Art Nouveau style by architects Garibaldi Burba and Giovanni Battista. Its location on top of a hill in the lower part of the town with mature chestnut trees dotted around the peaceful grounds made it the place to be seen.