TERME ACQUA PIA
Yesterday we again experienced strong sirocco winds that felt almost gale force. But at least we did not have the snow that much of northern Italy had. So we took a long drive in the countryside and rediscovered one of the ancient hot water springs in Sicily. Terme Acqua Pia is nestled in an isolated part of the Belice Valley that is hard to get to, with a secondary road that spirals down into the valley. This was a road we took three years ago with my dad and Uncle Charlie and it features corners with not very substantial guard rails that could hurtle you down to the bottom of the valley very quickly. It is between the cities of Partanna and Montevago.
The terme is by far the most luxurious of the hot water swimming places we have been to, even though the one in Sciacca could be so much better. Poor management and constant union troubles ruin the Sciacca pool, and it is usually filthy. But Terme Acqua Pia has one main difference from the termes in Sciacca and Terme Gorga near Calatafimi-it has no sulphur water smell! It was also pretty expensive-15 euro apiece for the day. And it was all outside with no indoor facilities out of the wind for day-trippers like us.
The pool was huge and the falls (holes in the rock with a hot tub where you pushed the button to make them go but and in the picture they are off) were delightful. The water was just the right temperature, although the hot tub could have been a bit warmer. The whole place was well tended even in those gale winds, but there were few other people and nothing much was open in this off-season. There was a center for video games, fast food and a sit down restaurants, playgrounds for the kids, nice plantings with two kinds of papyrus, and picnic areas all over, enough for hundreds of people. We know bus trips come here often, so that must be why there are so many of these types of facilities. They also offer beauty and health spa weekends, and there is a kind of nice hotel nearby in which people can stay for these weekends.
But later as I walked around to take pictures, I found where at least some of the guests were staying. There is a nice grove of orange trees way in the back, and we came across several travel trailers parked there. Think how nice it would be to get up in the morning and go out and pick a fresh orange or two for breakfast!
We tried to take a picture of the spa from the opposite hillside, but it is on a bend in the river and completely covered by trees. The hotel is a pretty site nestled in the hollow nearby (see picture). We found an inexpensive and good restaurant in Castelvertrano for lunch and enjoyed a mushroom/cream red sauce pasta and a shrimp and spinach risotto. We came home by way of the big shopping centers near the parkway. There was not much great shopping, but we picked up a cheap fake oriental to warm our feet in the living room these long chilly winter nights (Limoncello the canary is hopping around in the picture. He couldnt figure out how to get up onto the new rug and initiate it). The clouds on the way home showed that the high winds had risen to cloud level and they were a sight to behold as they pinked up in the sunset.
The terme is by far the most luxurious of the hot water swimming places we have been to, even though the one in Sciacca could be so much better. Poor management and constant union troubles ruin the Sciacca pool, and it is usually filthy. But Terme Acqua Pia has one main difference from the termes in Sciacca and Terme Gorga near Calatafimi-it has no sulphur water smell! It was also pretty expensive-15 euro apiece for the day. And it was all outside with no indoor facilities out of the wind for day-trippers like us.
The pool was huge and the falls (holes in the rock with a hot tub where you pushed the button to make them go but and in the picture they are off) were delightful. The water was just the right temperature, although the hot tub could have been a bit warmer. The whole place was well tended even in those gale winds, but there were few other people and nothing much was open in this off-season. There was a center for video games, fast food and a sit down restaurants, playgrounds for the kids, nice plantings with two kinds of papyrus, and picnic areas all over, enough for hundreds of people. We know bus trips come here often, so that must be why there are so many of these types of facilities. They also offer beauty and health spa weekends, and there is a kind of nice hotel nearby in which people can stay for these weekends.
But later as I walked around to take pictures, I found where at least some of the guests were staying. There is a nice grove of orange trees way in the back, and we came across several travel trailers parked there. Think how nice it would be to get up in the morning and go out and pick a fresh orange or two for breakfast!
We tried to take a picture of the spa from the opposite hillside, but it is on a bend in the river and completely covered by trees. The hotel is a pretty site nestled in the hollow nearby (see picture). We found an inexpensive and good restaurant in Castelvertrano for lunch and enjoyed a mushroom/cream red sauce pasta and a shrimp and spinach risotto. We came home by way of the big shopping centers near the parkway. There was not much great shopping, but we picked up a cheap fake oriental to warm our feet in the living room these long chilly winter nights (Limoncello the canary is hopping around in the picture. He couldnt figure out how to get up onto the new rug and initiate it). The clouds on the way home showed that the high winds had risen to cloud level and they were a sight to behold as they pinked up in the sunset.
posted by Sicilian Mama at 8:57 AM
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