Salsomaggiore Terme
Encyclopedia
Salsomaggiore Terme is a town and comune
in northern Italy
. It is located in the province of Parma
, in the Emilia-Romagna
region, located at the foot of the Apennines
. It is a popular Spa town
. The water is strongly saline
.
Due to its sodium content, the mineral water of Salsomaggiore belongs to the group of salty waters, a bromo-iodine-salt variety. A hypertonic and cold water extracted from artesian
wells, 800 to 1,200 metres deep, at a temperature
of 16°C and at a density of 16° on the Baumé scale
(1 degree Baumé is equivalent to approximately 11 grams of salt per litre).
The main focus of the town lies in its baths, notably in the "terme" situated in the centre of the town. Since 2007 Salsomaggiore is home of a European Festival called Incontrarsi a Salsomaggiore, a celebration of art, music and theater dedicated to women and their health.
Notable attractions of this town are the central piazza
with its clothing shops, the main centre of the town with a gelateria that is renowned throughout the area and the countryside surrounding this valley town.
The two villages nearby, Salsominore and Tabiano, have also their own baths.
as Duchess of Parma
that Salsomaggiore started to be recognized as a spa attraction for therapeutic purposes. Salsomaggiore then became one of the most famous and celebrated watering places in Europe
.
salt water
, which was known and used in pre-Roman
times for the extraction of salt
.
Luxeuil-les-Bains
, France
Bangkok
, Thailand
Hammam-Lif
, Tunisia
Yalta
, Ukraine
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is located in the province of Parma
Province of Parma
The Province of Parma is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Parma.It has an area of 3,449 km², and a total population of 413,198...
, in the Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
region, located at the foot of the Apennines
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
. It is a popular Spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
. The water is strongly saline
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
.
Due to its sodium content, the mineral water of Salsomaggiore belongs to the group of salty waters, a bromo-iodine-salt variety. A hypertonic and cold water extracted from artesian
Artesian aquifer
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in a well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached. This type of well is called an artesian well...
wells, 800 to 1,200 metres deep, at a temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
of 16°C and at a density of 16° on the Baumé scale
Baumé scale
The Baumé scale is a pair of hydrometer scales developed by French pharmacist Antoine Baumé in 1768 to measure density of various liquids. The unit of the Baumé scale has been notated variously as degrees Baumé, B°, Bé° and simply Baumé . One scale measures the density of liquids heavier than water...
(1 degree Baumé is equivalent to approximately 11 grams of salt per litre).
The main focus of the town lies in its baths, notably in the "terme" situated in the centre of the town. Since 2007 Salsomaggiore is home of a European Festival called Incontrarsi a Salsomaggiore, a celebration of art, music and theater dedicated to women and their health.
Notable attractions of this town are the central piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
with its clothing shops, the main centre of the town with a gelateria that is renowned throughout the area and the countryside surrounding this valley town.
The two villages nearby, Salsominore and Tabiano, have also their own baths.
History
During the reign of Marie LouiseMarie Louise, Duchess of Parma
Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...
as Duchess of Parma
Duchy of Parma
The Duchy of Parma was created in 1545 from that part of the Duchy of Milan south of the Po River, as a fief for Pope Paul III's illegitimate son, Pier Luigi Farnese, centered on the city of Parma....
that Salsomaggiore started to be recognized as a spa attraction for therapeutic purposes. Salsomaggiore then became one of the most famous and celebrated watering places in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Notable people
Lorenzo Berzieri, a doctor from Salsomaggiore, was the first person to successfully determine through experiment the therapeutic qualities of the bromo-iodineIodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
salt water
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
, which was known and used in pre-Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times for the extraction of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
.
Frazioni
Bargone, Cangelasio, Ceriati, Contignaco-Cella, Costa, Costamarenga, Fornacchia, Gorzano, I Passeri, Longone-Colombaia, Montauro, Pie' di Via, Pieve di Cusignano, Rossi, Salsominore, San Vittore, Scipione Castello, Scipione Ponte, Tabiano Bagni, Tabiano Castello, Tosini, Vascelli.Twin cities
La Habana, CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
Luxeuil-les-Bains
Luxeuil-les-Bains
Luxeuil-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-History:Luxeuil was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings at the time of its destruction by the Huns under Attila in 451...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
Hammam-Lif
Hammam-Lif
Hammam-Lif is a coastal town about 20 km south-east of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been known since antiquity for its thermal springs originating in Mount Bou Kornine.- History :Naro, which means fire, was Hammam-Lif's Punic name...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...