Leaving the port area and proceeding to the left, the building of the Municipal Baths, designed in 1845 by the architect De Fazio, can be seen in Via Iasolino. They arise in the place where the sources of Fontana and Fornello (or Formeillo) gushed, famous and ancient Ischia waters, which in the 19th century attracted a large number of patrons.
Villa dei Bagni owes its name to the presence of two springs, Fornello and Fontana, whose fortune in the field of thermal literature dates back to the treatise published in 1588 by Giulio Iasolino, "On the natural remedies that are on the island Pithaecusa, today called Ischia.โ In the text, the rigorous scientific analysis of the spring waters is accompanied by the description of the site: an Arcadian image of the lake, which will be transformed into a port in 1854.
The use of the baths for therapeutic purposes is attested by the presence of reception structures overlooking the shore, with masonry tanks to collect mineral waters and huts for the hospitalization of the sick. Around the first half of the nineteenth century, the establishment consisted of two distinct buildings: three barrel-vaulted rooms for the Fornello bathrooms and two rooms for the Fontana bathrooms. The dilapidated conditions of the buildings, now insufficient to satisfy the needs of users, impose the need for a radical modernization. In the numerous reports, requested by the Municipality and citizens with the aim of requesting the works from the mainland authorities, the state of abandonment in which the baths find themselves is deplored several times, underlining how Casamicciola has in the meantime equipped itself with thermal facilities at avant-garde. Thanks also to the interest of King Ferdinand II, who usually spends his holidays in the nearby Royal Casino, work was undertaken and the new spa was inaugurated in April 1845. The two springs are incorporated into a single building, created by Gaetano Fazzini by modifying, with a significant reduction in space, the more ambitious original project by Camillo Ranieri. A large central hall leads to the dressing rooms arranged in rooms on two sides. Three public pools have been created outside for the benefit of those who want to use the water, even if it is forbidden to take a full bath. After national unification, the Royal Casino passed to the state property of the Italian State and was transformed into a military spa with the construction of new buildings near the baths.
Translated by Google โข
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