Abano Terme is a famous thermal resort in the north-east of Italy, in 2013 recognized as the best in the country for a variety of cultural holidays and therapeutic techniques. It is located at the foot of the Euganean Hills, 10 km from Padua and 40 km from Venice.
Legend has it that the first settlement here was founded by Hercules, returning from one of his campaigns and struck by the beauty of the area and its mild climate. According to another legend, Julius Caesar first discovered the healing properties of local mud, paying attention to how it heals the wounds of his soldiers and horses.
Historians confirm only the fact that the terms on the site of the present Abano Terme existed already in the 4th century, as evidenced by the mention of them by the Roman poet Claudius Claudian. In the VI century, the ancient baths were destroyed by the pawnshop tribe and restored only after several centuries.
In the XIII century, the doctor Pietro di Abano, whose surname was later immortalized in the name of the city, began to study the healing properties of local thermal springs.
The terms on the site of the present Abano Terme existed in the 4th century
In Abano Terme, Shakespeare and Byron, Goethe and Petrarch were resting at one time. Today, the spa resort receives about 250 thousand guests a year.
Thermal Spa Abano Terme
In Abano Terme, every thermal hotel is a separate and independent wellness center. Here they extract thermal water from their own wells, independently produce thermal mud and develop an individual course of treatment based on a medical examination of the client.
Here every thermal hotel is a true wellness center.
Water from wells is extracted from a depth of 3000 m and contains iodine, bromine, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, ammonia and other useful substances. The temperature of the water leaving the well can reach 75-85 ° C.
Chilled water from thermal springs is used to fill pools, balneotherapy, inhalations, cosmetology and other medical procedures. It is also used to make therapeutic thermal mud.
The healing mud is ideal for body wraps and beauty treatments.
In special reservoir pools, clay from the lakes of the city of Arqua Petrarch is mixed with thermal water and left for several months for the so-called "maturation", after which it is used for body wraps and other cosmetic procedures. The therapeutic mud of the resort of Abano Terme is the only one in Italy that has a European certificate of origin.
The list of indications for treatment with thermal waters and mud is impressive and varied: here are diseases of the musculoskeletal system, genitourinary system, and respiratory organs. However, it should be borne in mind that such treatment is contraindicated in patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system and kidneys, as well as in the presence of cancer, peptic ulcer and some other complications.
Hot springs fill the local pools
Balneological procedures are contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women. Therefore, before you opt for the resort of Abano Terme in Italy, it is not superfluous to get the approval of the attending physician.
How to get to Abano Terme
The nearest airports to Abano Terme are around Venice (about 60 km).
There is a direct bus from Marco Polo Airport to Abano Terme. According to the schedule, he makes five flights a day with an interval of about an hour. The bus runs daily except Sunday, the fare is 10.50 € (2017). Another bus runs from Venice Airport to Padova from 7 to 10 in the evening and costs 10 €.
A train from Padua to Montegrotto Terme follows every hour.
From Venice Santa Lucia train station, trains run daily from 6 AM to 10 PM to the nearby Montegrotto Terme resort of Abano Terme (Terme Euganee Abano-Montegrotto Station), tickets cost from 4.90 €. BlogoItaliano wrote about how to get from Venice airport to the city in this article.
From Verona to Padua, trains cost from 8 €. A high-speed train from Milan will take you to Padua in 2 hours and about 30 €.
From Padua to Abano Terme, you can take a bus with the designation M or AT. Buses leave the train station every half hour, a ticket costs about 3 €. Also from Padua to the neighboring town of Abano Terme, Montegrotto Terme, every hour there is a train. It is necessary to take a ticket to the Terme Euganee Abano-Montegrotto station, the ticket costs about 3 €. You can get to Abano Terme from Montegrotto Terme by bus for 2 € (2017).
Taxi prices at Venice Airport (2017)
You can avoid confusion with the search and change of public transport by ordering a taxi. You can calculate the cost of a transfer from your arrival airport and book a car on this page.
Hotels and lodging
The most famous hotel in Abano Terme with its own thermal springs is considered President Terme. You can read about his procedures, see photos and ask the price list here.
But besides President Terme, the Resort has plenty to choose from. The specificity of Abano Terme is such that many hotels here have their own thermal compartment, a visit to which, as a rule, is included in the price. Below we have an actual list of resort hotels with current special offers. You can go to the page of each hotel to learn more about it.
Climate and weather
The location of Abano Terme near the coast of the warm Adriatic Sea provided the resort town with a mild climate with insignificant temperature differences. In July and August, the air temperature is up to + 30 + 32 ° C, and in the winter months, as a rule, it does not fall below + 5 + 7 ° C.
The climate in the resort is mild with slight temperature differences
What to see and do in Abano Terme
Abano Terme cannot please guests with a large number of attractions, but more than compensates for their absence with the healing properties of water and natural beauties.
Orchards and endless vineyards grow on the territory of the Euganean Hills nature reserve, and serpentine roads lead to the medieval city of Arcois Petrarch, where the villa of the writer Petrarch has survived and the atmosphere of the late 14th century reigns to this day. A little further you can find the old city walls of Monselice and the ancient Benedictine monastery Abbazia di Pralia.
The atmosphere of the 14th century reigns in Arcois Petrarch
In the city itself, the Madonna della Salute church, built in 1428, and the St. Lawrence Cathedral, rebuilt over several centuries, starting in 900, attract attention. Legend has it that the organ of the cathedral with its sound is able to heal diseases no worse than thermal springs and mud.
On the Square of the Sun and Peace in Abano Terme, the largest sundials in Europe are located, covering an area of more than 3 square kilometers. In the warm season, city parks offer a rich entertainment program with concerts and theatrical performances, and art lovers will surely like the exposition of paintings in the Montironi gallery.
The sundial in the Sun and Peace Square is the largest in Europe
But, nevertheless, the main attractions of the region are not located in Abano Terme. From the resort a stone's throw to Padua, Venice and Verona, and in each of these cities you can "get lost" for the whole day. If you wish, you can also look at the nearby resort of Montegrotto Terme, where the small Puffetto train follows.
