The old spring and the Roman Emporium.

Archaeological Site of Colle Montirone at Abano Terme

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This small hill, once rich in naturally flowing spa springs, was particularly dear to the ancient Patavini, who in Roman times surrounded it with villas and spa stations. Read More
Archaeological Site of Colle Montirone at Abano Terme

An ancient storage area was discovered in 1951 not far from Colle Montirone: it included hundreds of ceramic items (thin-walled cups, animal’s head-shaped “rhytà” and so on), all datable between the second half of the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D.; it was presumably the storehouse of an emporium linked to the nearby thermal water springs. The same site also gave back a little bronze statue portraying Mercury with his typical bag for money (“marsupium”), perhaps a reference to the commercial use of thermal water. The low hill has represented the thermal centre for centuries: during Venetic and Roman Ages it was considered home of the god Aponus and Gerione’s oracle; during the Middle Ages, and until the 18th century, the treatment baths were held there. Today there is a public garden on the hill where visitors can admire the Hygeia’s statue, sculpted by Paolo Boldrin and placed here in 1942.

Archaeological Site of Colle Montirone at Abano Terme: this small hill, once rich in naturally flowing spa springs, was particularly dear to the ancient Patavini, who in Roman times surrounded it with villas and spa stations. The entrance to the old spring, where until the second half of the 1800s the water still flowed spontaneously at a temperature of 80°C, is marked by an early 19th century Corinthian colonnade and a mighty Doric column crowned by a chalice wrapped in the coils of a snake, designed by Giuseppe  Jappelli in 1825 for the visit of Emperor Franz I of Austria. The two buildings either side of the entrance house the Maav – Abano Terme Art Glass Museum. These early 20th-century buildings were formerly used for thermal treatments.

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