Fiuggi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comune di Fiuggi | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Frosinone (FR) |
| Mayor | Virginio Bonanni (since April 2000) |
| Elevation | 747 m (2,451 ft) |
| Area | 33 km² (13 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2004-12-31) | |
| - Total | 9,047 |
| - Density | 274/km² (710/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Fiuggini |
| Dialing code | 0775 |
| Postal code | 03014 |
| Patron | St. Blaise |
| - Day | February 3 |
| Website: www.comune.fiuggi.fr.it | |
Fiuggi is a comune (municipality) in the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio in central Italy.
[edit] History
Fiuggi, originally called Anticoli di Campagna, gained fame as early as the 14th century, when Pope Boniface VIII claimed his kidney stones had been healed by the mineral waters from the nearby Fiuggi spring. Two centuries later Michelangelo also extolled the virtues of the water that cured him of what he called "the only kind of stone I couldn't love." Soon Acqua di Fiuggi was being sent in bottles to all of Europe's royalty. Not until the turn of the 20th Century did it become fashionable to make pilgrimages to spa towns, and it was around this time that the King of Italy renamed Anticoli in honor of its most celebrated attraction.
From the 16th to the 19th century, Fiuggi and many nearby hill towns were part of the Papal States. Unlike its neighbors, Anticoli di Campagna provided a source of revenue through the sales of its miraculous waters, and so it was often "bestowed" upon noble families in payment for services rendered. Sometimes these aristocrats didn't bother to visit the town, but they always sent a delegate to make sure none or few of the profits stayed in town. These upper-class outsiders slowly covered the original medieval walls with the painted plaster similar to what is found in present day Rome, thus changing almost the entire appearance of the town. Today a very active group of local residents is slowly restoring the stone façades in an effort to restore the city to its medieval form.
In May 6, 1916 the Rome and Fiuggi Rail Road was opened for service, in 1982 the service was closed.
[edit] Main sights
Today Fiuggi is a classic Italian hill town, beginning with its layout as two separate towns. Blanketing the slopes at 2500 feet above sea level is the medieval old town, called Fiuggi Città. At its feet is the 20th-century spa town, called Fiuggi Fonte.
Main attractions include:
- The tiny church of Santa Maria del Colle
- The church of San Biagio, which was entirely rebuilt in the 17th century.
- The cast iron fountain in Piazza Piave, erected in 1907 to celebrate the arrival of running water in this town that owes its very existence to the abundant springs running below the hill.
- The ornate Palazzo Falconi, at the center of the ancient town.
- The former Grand Hotel, now the municipal theatre.
