From the spa of Bonifacio to Lake Canterno, let’s enjoy water. Symbol of purity ,it follows a path of refreshment for the body and the soul through Ciociaria. At a slow pace from Fiuggi to Collepardo, we follow the “Yellow B“.
Terme di Bonifacio – Fiuggi (FR)
At the Terme di Fiuggi “the water breaks the stones”, according to Pope Boniface VIII. In fact, the source from which the healing water flows takes its name from him. The water in Fiuggi flows through the dense chestnut groves on the Ernici mountains, low in calcium and detoxifying. This medieval village dates back to the time when the Pope drank the water to get rid of his kidney stones, in the prodigious spa.
“I have drank for about two months evening and morning from a fountain fourty miles from Rome, whose water breaks the stone”
This is what Michelangelo Buonarroti said when he drank the water of Fiuggi for his”stone disease”. However, the aim of the spa is not only to heal the body, but rather the soul, by “washing away“ andrelaxing in the two thermal springs. The Fonte Bonifacio VIII also includes the Fonte Anticolana. With its 94,000 m2, it is the oldest thermal complex in Italy.
Canterno lake
The ninety-year-old Golf Club Fiuggi is among the oldest clubs in Italy. It is located in the spa area with its 18 holes and covers almost 6 kilometers of greenery in the Lake Canterno Nature Reserve. It is between Ferentino, Fiuggi, Fumone and Trivigliano that Lake Canterno is tinged with the colours of peace.In Ciociaria you can find that serenity that only the water of the lake can give. The beauty of Lake Cardito and Lake Posta Fibreno will express it better than many words!
Collepardo Caves
Now it’s time to discover our last stop in the Orange Village of Collepardo. Amazing to find here too the refreshment of body and soul in the water and among its natural underground architecture, up to the beating heart of the Earth.
Pozzo d’Antullo – Twitter @soulrunningMAG
The journey into the depths of the earth allows us to sneak among the bizarre stalactites and stalagmites of the “Bambocci Caves” and the Pozzo d’Antullo, the largest karst chasm in Europe in the Monti Ausoni and Lago di Fondi Natural Park. It might seem like a disturbing-looking place, but here too a “slice of heaven” is hidden. At the base of this enormous gorge there is a lush blanket of very tall trees! And then we find a small hermitage in a cave, the Sanctuary of the Madonna Delle Cese. It is said that a hermit took refuge here, looking for shelter, shortly before the year 1000, fearing the end of the world!
Basilica of Santa Salome in Veroli
Before our last stop at the Certosa Trisulti, we detour to the Casamari Abbey. Cistercian Gothic architecture has embellished Central Italy since 1200 but was built on the remains of Cereatae Marianae, the Roman municipality where Caius Marius was born. But here in Veroli a curious anecdote awaits us in the basilica of Santa Sàlome. This thirteenth-century co-cathedral was built on the remains of the Saint and houses one of the very rare Holy Stairs. It was granted by Pope Benedict XIV and on the eleventh step houses a relic of the Calvary Cross. But get up to the 12th and last step kneeling to obtain the indulgence, it is another source of refreshment!
Trisulti Certosa Pharmacy-Museum
We finally reach the Certosa di Trisulti, the monastery that since 1200 has instilled an incredible sense of peace in the centuries-old woods in Ciociaria. You can reach it by following the “Yellow B” up to Collepardo, the signs for Via di San Benedetto! About 300 km in the green heart of Italy between nature and spirituality, from Umbria to Lazio to connect Norcia, Subiaco and Montecassino. A national monument since 1873, the Certosa di Trisulti, is surrounded by Italian gardens and boasts an ancient liquor store, the pharmacy, frescoed with Pompeian themes, which houses the original containers for medicines. Why not tasting the herbal liqueurs, Collepardo ancient herbal tradition? Another curious aspect of this sacred place is the single-hand clock. Look at the clock dials on three sides of the bell tower… there is only the minute hand! And to know the exact time? Well, listen to the bells ringing. Waiting to find out the most intrinsic meaning of refreshment?