Acquappesa

Acquappesa (U Casàle in Calabrian) is a town of about 1,700 inhabitants in the province of Cosenza, on the southern stretch of the Upper Tyrrhenian Cosentino coast, between Cetraro and Guardia Piemontese. Its name tells the landscape: “hanging water”, after a waterfall in the area. The territory, small but steep, climbs from six kilometres of coast up to the almost thousand metres of Monte Pistuolo, and is home to the hamlet of Terme Luigiane, where the sulphurous springs known since antiquity rise; they have become the town’s symbol, to the point of appearing on its coat of arms.

Geography

The municipality covers 17.75 km², 7 of them wooded, and also includes an administrative exclave detached from the rest of the territory, called Pistuolo e Spaliota. On the coast, about 6 km long and washed by the Tyrrhenian, the boundary runs along the Fiumicello stream to the north and the Bagni river to the south; the neighbouring towns are Cetraro, Guardia Piemontese, Fagnano Castello and Mongrassano. Behind the shore the ground rises quickly: the main heights are Quercia Rotonda (302 m), the Rupe del Diavolo (301 m), the Balze della Mortilla (364 m), Cozzo del Greco (626 m), Cozzo Moleo (675 m) and Monte Pistuolo (972 m). The waters run down to the sea through the Bagni river and the Acqua fetida, Fiumicello, Morgione and Sorbo streams. The settlements are the village, known as U Casàle, Castagnola, Intavolata, the Marina and Terme Luigiane.

History

Acquappesa’s recent history is intertwined with that of neighbouring Guardia Piemontese and of the spa the two communities share. In 1927 the two towns were merged into a single municipality, Guardia Piemontese Terme, whose name referred precisely to the Terme Luigiane; in 1945 the unified municipality was abolished and Acquappesa regained its autonomy. Even today the ownership of the springs is divided: seven twelfths belong to Acquappesa and five twelfths to Guardia Piemontese. The waters owe their name to Prince Luigi, Count of Aquila, who in the 19th century was their first patron. Shortly before the end of that century the railway arrived: Acquappesa station opened on 31 July 1895, with the section of the Tyrrhenian line from Praia d’Ajeta to Sant’Eufemia Marina, and was later downgraded to a halt. On 9 April 1955 the town received its coat of arms and banner by decree of the President of the Republic.

What to see

The heart of Acquappesa is the Terme Luigiane, a hamlet and thermal park fed by sulphurous waters known since antiquity and noted for treating skin conditions. A legend has also grown up around the springs: it is said that a queen who could not have children came here and that the waters made her fertile. The spa is also a place of sport: the Giro d’Italia has finished five stages here. Heading inland you reach the village of U Casàle, while the heights up to Monte Pistuolo and the woods, about two fifths of the territory, show the town’s mountain face behind the sea.

The Giro d’Italia at the Terme Luigiane

The Terme Luigiane have several times been a Giro d’Italia stage finish. The first finish was in 1993, with the fifth stage won by Dmitry Konyshev; then came 1995, the seventh stage won by Maurizio Fondriest, 1999, the fourth stage won by Laurent Jalabert, and 2003, the third stage won by Stefano Garzelli. The latest finish dates from 2017, when the sixth stage was won by Silvan Dillier.

Coat of arms and patron saint

Acquappesa’s coat of arms, granted in 1955, is blue with a silver two-basin fountain, spouting silver; the banner is a blue cloth. The fountain recalls the thermal spring of the Terme Luigiane, known since antiquity, and so ties the town’s identity to its waters, the same that give the village its name. The patron saint is Santa Maria del Rifugio, celebrated on 2 July. The inhabitants are called acquappesani.

Getting there

Acquappesa is crossed by the SS18 Tirrena Inferiore state road and served by Acquappesa station, a halt on the Tyrrhenian line with regional trains. By car from the A2 “del Mediterraneo” motorway: from the north, exit Rende/Cosenza nord and the SS107 to Paola, then the SS18 northwards; from the south, exit Falerna and the SS18 northwards. The nearest airport is Lamezia Terme.